Mike Babcock Can't Make the Oilers a Different Team
Some coaching changes make you wonder what the new guy will bring. And then there is Mike Babcock arriving in Edmonton. The Oilers don't exactly need somebody to teach Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl how to play offence. They've been to the Stanley Cup Final twice in the past two seasons. They know how to score.
But they haven't quite figured out how to finish the job. That's what makes tonight's opener against Vancouver interesting. This isn't really about whether Edmonton can score goals. It's about whether Babcock can make the Oilers harder to beat without taking away what makes them dangerous in the first place.
The Oilers Don't Need More Offence.
Edmonton spent the summer looking at the other end of the rink. Darnell Nurse was traded. They brought in Ryan Shea and Shakir Mukhamadullin. Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi joined the goaltending mix, although Andersen is currently injured, leaving Tristan Jarry to start the opener. And then there's Babcock.
That's quite a collection of changes for a team that just two seasons ago was playing in the Stanley Cup Final. The preseason numbers were certainly encouraging. Edmonton went 4-0-0 and gave up only five goals. Nobody should get too excited about preseason statistics, but Mattias Ekholm's comment about having three defensive pairs — and almost eight defencemen who can play — tells us something about what the Oilers want to become.
Maybe this isn't about becoming more defensive. Maybe it's about becoming more reliable.
Related: Did Isaac Howard Answer Mike Babcock's Question?
Can Babcock Add Structure Without Slowing McDavid?
Here’s the fascinating question. Babcock has a reputation for structure. Edmonton has a reputation for speed and offensive freedom. On paper, those things can fit together. In practice, well, that's why they play the games. The Oilers' stars seem on board. Zach Hyman talked about excitement and positivity around the team and said Babcock is willing to take the heat while the players simply go out and play.
That's an interesting way to describe a new coach. It suggests Babcock isn't being asked to reinvent McDavid. He's being asked to give the rest of the team a better foundation around him. And perhaps that's the real Edmonton experiment.
The Oilers have already shown they can get to the Final. They've already shown they can score enough to scare anybody. Now they're trying something different: making sure their best offensive players don't have to be perfect every night. That's a pretty reasonable job description for a coach.
The Canucks Get to Be the Oilers’ First Test.
And for Edmonton, the question isn't whether Babcock can change the Oilers. It's whether he can make them a little harder to break. Here’s a rude question for Oilers fans (and Canucks’ fans, too). What happens tonight if the Canucks ride into the Oilers’ building and beat them? How much second-guessing could that kind of event generate?