Oilers need to end their pursuit of Mike Babcock before they do even more damage

The Edmonton Oilers have made it pretty clear they are desperate to win a Stanley Cup while they still have superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on their roster. 

They are becoming shamelessly desperate. So shamelessly desperate, they are willing to do anything and hire anybody, in an effort to win. Even if it comes with significant PR hits and a loss of anything resembling respect. 

What makes it all even worse is that they are not only selling out their dignity, but they aren't even pursuing the best possible people for the jobs to get them closer to winning. That will especially be true if they actually find a way to hire Mike Babcock. 

It should never get to that point. They need to end this insanity as soon as possible, not only to save their own image but also to actually find a better coach. There have to be better coaches available to them. 

The Oilers are embarrassing themselves with the pursuit of Mike Babcock

The most obvious issue with the Babcock pursuit is all of the baggage that comes with him. And it is a lot. Department stores don't have this much baggage in stock. 

The list of complaints against him for his treatment of players is extensive, and somehow still growing, even though he has not actually coached in several years.

When he coached the Detroit Red Wings, his treatment of Johan Franzen drove the Swedish winger to a mental breakdown on the bench and in the locker room, a story that was backed up by Chris Chelios. Franzen called Babcock the worst person he has ever met. 

His treatment of Mitch Marner with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he forced the rookie to rank his teammate's work ethics, and then shared those rankings with the team, was a big part of what forced him out. 

When he was briefly hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets, his attempt to check players' personal phones and photos was seen as so out of bounds and over the line that he resigned before even making it to training camp.

In terms of being a boss and a leader, he's not a good person. Now that Edmonton is pursuing Babcock, the NHLPA initiated an investigation into his conduct in Columbus, and it seems it is going to produce even more red flags. 

NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported on Wednesday that the NHLPA is in receipt of "significant" additional claims against Babcock during his time in Columbus. Even more concerning, he also reported that the phone saga was not the incident that resulted in his resignation, but another allegation that was never made public.