Put nothing past the Edmonton Oilers management and ownership. They've mismanaged the generational careers of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, falling far short of the expansive championship window that such talent should allow a team. Now, with pressure mounting and the window very possibly closing two short seasons from now, it appears they're seriously considering their biggest mistake yet.
Mike Babcock coached the Detroit Red Wings between the years of 2005 and 2015. He took over a Wings club that was mid-dynasty. They had won the Stanley Cup in 1997, 1998, and 2002. Coming out of the 2005 NHL lockout, Babcock took the reins on a team that had Steve Yzerman, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Lidstrom, and future Hall of Famers near the end of their careers in Chris Chelios and Brendan Shanahan.
Look to 2006
Before we ever dive in to "Why would a team hire such an individual who has proven to simply be a bad person?", we can look at the loaded Red Wings' results against an 8th seeded Oilers in the 2006 NHL Playoffs. Babcock took a juggernaut and found a way to lose to a wildly imperfect and undertalented Oilers team in his first year behind the bench.
That is precisely the outcome the Oilers want to avoid and, it would seem, it's the reason that Kris Knoblauch no longer has a job. Babcock did win a Stanley Cup as Wings head coach in 2008. But that success was the only remnant of dynasty that happened under his watch. He would stay as coach for another seven seasons, losing in the Cup Final the following season and then never returning. His next tenure, coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs, was controversial (to put it kindly) and similarly he wasn't able to get that talented roster out of the first round of the Playoffs.
Babcock is not a good person
It's an antiquated and wrongheaded theory that players need to be berated, broken down and mistreated by their coaching leadership in order to reach the heights of potential. If it was ever true, and I highly doubt the strategy ever truly was the best available. Ask the St. Louis Blues if they would have preferred Wayne Gretzky over Mike Keenan with the benefit of hindsight.
The end of season interviews with McDavid and Draisaitl showed significant candor, and a good amount of self awareness. These aren't leaders who think the rest of the roster is the problem (even if roster construction is the number one reason they exited the Playoffs early). They both called themselves out, promised to be better and left for offseason recovery and training to do just that.
The team doesn't need a mean-spirited, 7-years-retired, unnecessarily vindictive head coach. They need a visionary. Someone who can allow the Oilers' offensive players the freedom to create and produce, while closing the defensive holes that have sprung up in the past two seasons. This team can still win a Stanley Cup, but mark my words, they won't do it if they hire Mike Babcock.
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