Analyst Suggests Oilers Hired Babcock to Distract Fans From McDavid, Draisaitl

The Edmonton Oilers hiring Mike Babcock seemingly came out of nowhere this offseason, and it shocked many fans around the league.

There was speculation they could look at bringing in Bruce Cassidy, but that never came to fruition. There was some fan-driven speculation towards whether they would promote Colin Chaulk from the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) or even try to bring in Peter Laviolette, who joined the Los Angeles Kings instead.

Babcock, who has a checkered past, wasn’t on anyone’s radar for a while, but he was the coach that seemed to be the first choice of the Oilers’ leadership group. They believe, and have stated several times throughout the offseason, that Babcock is the coach who can hold everyone equally accountable and bring them to a championship.

Recently, analyst Bryan Hayes had a different take on why the Oilers hired Babcock, suggesting they made the move to take the spotlight off of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Will Mike Babcock be a good fit as Oilers head coach? Bryan Hayes (@HayesTSN) joins @JayOnrait to discuss. pic.twitter.com/eUhJrgep2b

— JayOnSC (@JayOnSC) September 22, 2026

Fans have been hard on the superstar duo, especially fans outside of Edmonton, after they lost in two straight seasons to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, and only made it to the first round last season. However, this suggestions seems far-fetched.

Fans Still Focused on McDavid, Draisaitl’s Futures

While Babcock was an interesting hire, the Oilers hiring him for the sole purpose of taking the spotlight off of McDavid and Draisaitl seems a little ridiculous. It may delay the conversation a bit, but around the league, fans discuss McDavid’s future almost daily, as he is only on a short-term deal with the Oilers, and could leave for free agency at the end of it.

Draisaitl on the other hand, is extended through the 2032-33 season, but fans often wonder if he would consider asking for a trade if the Oilers aren’t able to win a Stanley Cup in the next couple of years, and McDavid leaves after becoming an unrestricted free agent.

It seems like every day there is a new mock trade sending McDavid to the Toronto Maple Leafs, or the New York Rangers, or some other team that could make sense for him, as fans try to guess what a monstrous trade package could look like to land him, if he is ever moved.

To suggest the hiring of Babcock takes the spotlight off of those two is, interesting.

Oilers Entering Critical Campaign

This could be a make-or-break season for the Oilers, and everyone knows it. If they don’t have a deep playoff run, they could be asking some questions next offseason that leads to them completely shaking things up, and for how close they have come over the past few seasons, that would be devastating for their fans.

They have a maximum of two seasons to prove they’re going to remain contenders, or they risk losing McDavid in some way. If this season is a disaster and they can’t find a way to figure things out, McDavid could be reconsidering his future and asking for a trade. It’s unlikely, but it becomes more of a reality than it’s ever been.

The Oilers have the depth and firepower to win the Stanley Cup this season, but they need a lot of things to go right, and they need to be aggressive at the trade deadline and make sure they add exactly what they need. If not, they could be in for another long summer.

We’ll see what happens.

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