With Oilers coach Dave Tippett on the hot seat, could we see Mike Babcock take over in Edmonton?
The Edmonton Oilers are currently on a downward spiral, losing 10 of their last 12 games. Here's the kicker; their two wins came when head coach, Dave Tippett was in COVID protocol.
The Oilers are coming off of a loss against the Rangers, their fourth loss in as many games. Following the game, Tippett threw goalie Mikko Koskinen under the bus; even though the Oilers didn't provide him with a lot of goal support, scoring just one goal in the matchup.
This is where things get interesting. The Oilers' GM is Ken Holland. With Tippett being on the hot seat, one name has been generating a lot of discussion as a possible replacement. Someone Holland is very familiar with. His name is Mike Babcock. Could a Leafs win on Wednesday mean a potential coaching change in Edmonton? If so, could we see Babcock reunite with Holland as the next head coach of the Oilers?
Babcock has not coached in the NHL since he was fired by the Leafs in 2019 after a disappointing start to the season. Many stories came out about the former Leafs coach after he was fired, primarily about how he treated certain players. Since then, we have seen a number puff pieces circulating, which appear to be trying to rebuild the University of Saskatchewan head coach's image.
Bringing Babcock in as a head coach would be a negative for hockey, but that's just one man's opinion. His refusal to adapt combined with his outdated coaching tactics held the Leafs back, even if the overall structure of the team improved for a time.
The last 18 months of his tenure in Toronto were rocky. Does anyone else recall the time that he played Auston Matthews 18 minutes in Game 7 against the Bruins? I'd like to forget that too.
Ken Holland has a history of the old boys club mentality and it has been prevalent during his time in Edmonton. Between bringing in aging players like Duncan Keith for "leadership" and giving aging players multi year contracts, Holland has shown his gray hair. Bringing in Babcock would not be a surprising move for Holland, but we'll have to wait and see what happens.
