Connor McDavid and Jason Dickinson have publicly endorsed Mike Babcock’s demanding coaching style, signaling that Edmonton’s leadership believes accountability is the missing piece in its Stanley Cup pursuit.
After their painful NHL playoff disappointment, the Oilers are embracing a different identity under their new head coach despite the controversy surrounding his return to the NHL.
Speaking to Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer, Dickinson said the support from Edmonton’s star players removes uncertainty about Babcock’s arrival.
“The top guys being on board, that should take away a lot of concern or fear that anybody may have had,” Dickinson said.
The veteran center added that demanding coaching has never bothered him.
“I’ve always been a player who likes to be pushed,” Dickinson said. “If I’m not delivering, I need somebody to keep me accountable and let me know that there’s more in me and that I’ve got to bring it to a different level. So that doesn’t scare me.”
Dickinson also believes Edmonton’s experienced roster is built to respond positively.
“Murph said it really well,” Dickinson said. “We have a veteran group that can handle that. You know, if you have a younger group that’s a little bit more inexperienced, a little bit unsure of themselves, sure, that might be a little bit hard with a coach like that.
“But with a group that’s well-established and knows itself, there’s always room for growth, and a coach like that can definitely bring out the next level in guys.”
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Connor McDavid on Mike Babcock hiring
McDavid echoed that belief while explaining why Edmonton backed Babcock’s hiring.
“We’ve tried it one way for a really long time, and we got close,” McDavid said. “We got very close. We’re looking for the last 1 per cent.”
The Oilers reached consecutive Stanley Cup Finals before crashing out in six games against Anaheim in the 2026 first round. Edmonton finished the regular season 41-30-11 with 93 points, but injuries and a lack of depth proved costly.
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McDavid produced 138 points in 82 regular-season games before suffering a fractured foot in Game 2 against Anaheim in the playoffs. He still recorded six playoff points but finished with a minus-eight rating while carrying enormous 23:32 minutes. Leon Draisaitl returned from a lower-body injury and led the team with 10 points in six games.
The supporting cast failed to ease that burden. Zach Hyman was limited to just 2 goals in the series and finished -6. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins managed five points but was -1, while Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic combined for zero points. Edmonton’s stars once again carried too much of the offensive load.
McDavid made it clear that Babcock’s demanding approach is aimed at the leaders first.
“We brought Babs in to be hard on me. And Leon. The top guys — that’s who we want to point the finger at. As the leaders of the team, we are always taking the temperature of the room and assessing things. Of course we’re always watching.”
He then added, saying, “All I can speak to is him being our head coach today, and we want Babs to come in and be hard on Leon and Nuge and Boosh and Ecky and Heisy, and me. We want to push those guys, and we want him lifting up everybody else. That’s what he’s here to do.”
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Mike Babcock wants accountability across the Oilers roster
Babcock admitted he never expected to coach again before Edmonton reached out. He said, “I was enjoying retirement. I never thought that we’d be back in this room.”
But then, meeting McDavid, Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman changed his mind.
“I never thought of this,” Babcock said. ” tan kind of told you what happened when they reached out. The little caveat, though, was knowing that I was going to get together with Connor, Leon and Zach. That was worth the drive, I’ve got to tell you, that kind of changed everything.”
Before considering Babcock, three Oilers players met him. Talking about his conversation, Babcock said Edmonton’s leaders welcomed honest conversations about their shortcomings.
“When you’re sitting with those players, number one, you’re having fun, but they’ve played the game long enough and they’re good enough players,” Babcock said. “They have opinions about how things should be. I’m fortunate as a coach to have had lots of success, and I have thoughts on how things have to be. We discussed them in detail.
“We broke down what was going on in the playoffs. We walked through the clips, we walked through how it would be done here and now, how it’s going to be done moving forward, and we talked about Leon, Connor, Zach and the rest of this leadership group about how they want to get better. That’s what they’ve asked of me, and they’ve told me we have to be better, and we expect you to make us better.
“I said, ‘Well, that’s great to talk about in June, but when camp starts and you’re making a guy do things, you might not be so happy.’ They said, ‘No, that’s not how it’s going to be.’
Babcock warned that demanding habits would not always be comfortable. He said, “We were all committed to winning, and in that time period, we had gone through enough things and talked about enough that they felt comfortable with the process, or I wouldn’t be here. I was very clear to them: unless you’re 100 percent all in on Mike Babcock, I have no interest in being the coach.”
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Babcock talked about creating depth in the Oilers group
Babcock’s hiring remains controversial because of past incidents involving Mitch Marner, Johan Franzen, Nazem Kadri and his brief, unsuccessful return with Columbus in 2023. Those concerns will remain until he proves meaningful change.
But Babcock rejected the idea that only the stars would receive attention.
“What I think is a huge priority here is creating depth within the organization, and everybody on this team has to be important,” Babcock said. “I’m not just talking about players; I’m talking about the coaching staff doing a better job, so everyone on the team is important.”
Babcock believes building meaningful depth is the key lesson from recent Stanley Cup champions.
“It’s interesting you say that I’m harder on the best guys by far than on the guys trying to survive every day,” Babcock said. “If you’re going to have success, all you have to do is watch what happened in this year’s playoffs. Everybody on that team’s got to be important, right down to the guys that don’t play every single night. The more depth you create and the more they feel important, the better chance you have of having success.”
“So I actually heard everything you said and believe the opposite. I believe we’re going to empower all those players, and they’re going to love it as much as anybody. I think it’s the big dogs that are going to be going, ‘He’s going to make me do that? He wants me to do that?’ I think it’s harder on them.”
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Edmonton’s gamble is understandable. The Oilers do not need McDavid and Draisaitl to become better players. They need the rest of the lineup to become dependable contributors. If Babcock creates that balance while maintaining trust inside the room, Edmonton could finally find the final margin that has escaped it for years.
