{"id":734471,"date":"2026-06-13T15:59:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T15:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/734471\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T15:59:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T15:59:12","slug":"oilers-rumors-edmonton-hiring-mike-babcock-could-work-under-one-condition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/734471\/","title":{"rendered":"Oilers Rumors: Edmonton hiring Mike Babcock could ‘work’ under one condition"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Edmonton Oilers<\/a>\u2019 coaching search remains on hold as the N<\/a>H<\/a>L<\/a> continues its investigation into Mike Babcock\u2019s actions in Columbus. Still, the veteran coach is still firmly in the conversation for one of hockey\u2019s highest-profile jobs.<\/p>\n

Babcock emerged as Edmonton\u2019s preferred candidate after several coaching options disappeared. Former Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy was blocked from interviewing by the Golden Knights<\/a>, while Peter Laviolette accepted the Los Angeles Kings job. That left the Oilers heavily focused on Babcock, whose potential return to the NHL remains tied to the league\u2019s ongoing review.<\/p>\n

MORE: Oilers\u2019 depth players could be most affected by Mike Babcock\u2019s arrival<\/a><\/p>\n

The investigation stems from Babcock\u2019s brief tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a> in 2023. He resigned before coaching a game after allegations that he improperly asked players to show personal photos from their phones. The NHL Players\u2019 Association pushed for a formal review when Edmonton began pursuing him again, and reports indicate the probe now includes additional allegations.<\/p>\n

TSN insider Ryan Rishaug recently shared his view during an appearance on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer.<\/p>\n

\u201cBob, I just wanna clarify my position so I don\u2019t get radioed here, okay? If Mike Babcock is legitimately changed, this might work,\u201d Rishaug said. \u201cI think it\u2019s very fair, given what we saw between Toronto and Columbus, to be pretty skeptical that he has cause we\u2019ve heard this stuff before. That\u2019s my position.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edmonton Oilers need results, not more distractions<\/p>\n

\"\"Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (second from left) celebrates with teammates during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Rishaug\u2019s comment captures the central issue facing Edmonton. From a hockey standpoint, Babcock\u2019s resume is difficult to ignore. The Oilers finished the 2025-26 season with a 41-30-11 record and ranked 25th in goals against despite boasting elite offensive talent. Improving defensive structure remains a priority, and that has traditionally been one of Babcock\u2019s strengths.<\/p>\n

However, the success of any Babcock hire depends entirely on trust. Reports indicate Connor McDavid<\/a> and other core leaders \u201chave had a voice in\u201d Oilers\u2019 pursuit of Babcock and gave management their support after discussing his past controversies. That endorsement carries weight inside the organization.<\/p>\n

Still, the NHL must complete its investigation before Edmonton can move forward. Insider Elliotte Friedman recently reported that the league does not want the situation dragging on any longer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had heard that the league wanted to deal with this pretty quickly,\u201d Friedman said<\/a>. \u201cI think that they want to reach a ruling and don\u2019t want this continuing any longer than it has to.\u201d<\/p>\n

MORE: Connor McDavid\u2019s role in Oilers\u2019 Mike Babcock pursuit comes to light<\/a><\/p>\n

If the NHL clears Babcock and evidence shows meaningful personal growth, the fit could make sense for a team chasing a Stanley Cup. If doubts remain, Edmonton may be forced to pivot to alternative candidates and continue its search.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Edmonton Oilers\u2019 coaching search remains on hold as the NHL continues its investigation into Mike Babcock\u2019s actions…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":734472,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194294],"tags":[49,48,12428,23752,453,448,4407,767],"class_list":["post-734471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-edmonton","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-connor-mcdavid","tag-edmonton","tag-edmonton-oilers","tag-nhl","tag-nhl-rumors","tag-vegas-golden-knights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/734471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=734471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/734471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/734472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=734471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=734471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=734471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}