Leon Draisaitl believes Mike Babcock is the coach the Edmonton Oilers need as they try to turn another Stanley Cup contender into a championship team. Speaking with Bob Stauffer, the Oilers star said the leadership group welcomed the organization’s decision to hire the veteran bench boss, knowing that a tougher environment could help the club reach another level after a disappointing 2025-26 NHL season.
Draisaitl said discussions took place among Edmonton’s leaders before and after the coaching change, with the group convinced that Babcock’s demanding style matches the team’s current situation.
“To me, it seems like everyone is excited,” Draisaitl said. “Everyone’s looking forward to knowing that it will be a challenge. Babs will challenge us. Babs will demand the most out of us.”
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The German forward stressed that accountability must extend beyond the players.
“When you want to get to where we want to get to, you need to demand the most out of every single player, out of every single coach, out of our management group,” Draisaitl said. “Everybody in our organization needs to demand just a little bit more from each other.”
Draisaitl also made it clear that responsibility starts with the team’s biggest names.
“I am not worried about Babs doing that,” Draisaitl said. “Like I said in my year-end meeting or media session, I think that starts with Connor. That starts with me.
“Babs will be hard on us, but I want that. I’m looking for that. I want to get better. I want to become a better hockey player all around, and I want to help our team win in even more ways than I have.”
Connor McDavid also asked to be challenged
Connor McDavid has echoed the same message since Babcock’s hiring became official. The captain said Edmonton was not looking for a complete overhaul but rather the small changes needed to finally get over the line.
“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.”
McDavid later added that Babcock was hired to hold the team’s leaders accountable first. He said, “We brought Babs in to be hard on me. And Leon. The top guys — that’s who we want to point the finger at.”
That message carries weight because Edmonton’s core is openly inviting criticism instead of resisting it. In many locker rooms, coaching changes create uncertainty. In Edmonton, the leadership group appears to be driving the expectation that higher standards begin with themselves.
Structure, not talent, remains Edmonton’s biggest question
The Oilers’ regression last season highlighted problems that elite offensive talent alone could not solve. After reaching back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025, Edmonton slipped to 93 regular-season points before exiting in six games against the Anaheim Ducks in the opening round. Injuries played a role, but inconsistent defensive play, limited secondary scoring, and roster depth proved equally costly.
From an NHL perspective, Babcock’s biggest task is unlikely to be improving McDavid or Draisaitl offensively. Instead, he must build a more reliable five-man structure, tighten defensive habits, and create greater accountability throughout the lineup. Those areas have often separated championship teams from talented contenders.
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There are still legitimate questions surrounding Babcock’s return after years away from an NHL bench and the controversy that ended his brief stint with Columbus before the 2023-24 season.
However, Edmonton’s stars have made their position clear. They believe stricter coaching, greater accountability, and improved structure give the Oilers their best chance to maximize a championship window that cannot stay open forever.
