Analyst 'Deeply Skeptical' of Oilers Biggest Offseason Change

Not everyone is ready to call Mike Babcock’s addition to the Edmonton Oilers a win. Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic ranked the Oilers 25th out of 32 teams in a recent column of clubs who improved the most, giving Edmonton a -8 net rating. Pointing to the hiring of Babcock as the team’s biggest move, he writes that he is “deeply skeptical” of the way the new coach coaches.

Luszczyszyn wrote,”Edmonton is hoping that the biggest addition it made this summer was behind the bench. I am deeply skeptical of the way Mike Babcock operates, but from a pure results perspective, he projects to provide a major impact given how the Leafs improved under the hood in his first season there.”

The scribe is referring to Edmonton’s decision to hire Babcock because he pushes. The Oilers leadership group — including Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman — told Babcock that they need to be better held accountable and that a ‘tougher’ approach was required to ensure the players were on top of their games. They want a stern voice and a hard hand, and Babcock has a history of walking the line, but also often crossing over it.

He’s been categorized as a bully and a terrible person, ready to embarrass and humiliate his players to prove a point. It essentially got him unofficially suspended from the NHL until an investigation this summer deemed him eligible to return.

What About the Roster?

With Luszczyszyn not sold on the coach decision, what did he feel about the roster? Not fully complete, there were upgrades there in respect to both money and talent.