Mike Babcock admits he spent the summer ‘stealing' from Oilers rivals

Mike Babcock is not shy about how he built his plan for the Edmonton Oilers this offseason.

Speaking with Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now, the team's new head coach admitted he spent his summer studying what has worked for the league's top contenders and borrowing anything that could make his group better.

Babcock said the process meant looking closely at how teams performed in the regular season and the playoffs, then figuring out what pieces could realistically fit his roster in Edmonton.

He called it an old habit, one he picked up decades ago coaching at Red Deer College and later in the Western Hockey League, where he studied rival benches and adapted their systems to try to beat them.

Part of that summer overhaul included bringing in Misha Donskov as a consulting coach.

Babcock said he got to know Donskov through Hockey Canada and was impressed by how organized and direct he was with feedback.

The hope is that Donskov pushes players and coaches alike to keep growing through the season.

Babcock was careful to note that theory only goes so far.

He will not truly know how his group responds to the new ideas until camp is underway and he can watch how players adjust day to day.

The coach also addressed Edmonton's summer injury news, with forward Matt Savoie and goaltender Frederik Andersen both banged up during offseason training.

Babcock said the plan is simply next man up, pointing to goalie Tristan Jarry as a player who has put in serious offseason work and should be ready to bounce back.

With Andersen out, rookie Devon Levi could see an early opportunity in net.

With Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman leading the group, expectations in Edmonton remain sky high heading into the season.

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