Edmonton Oilers consult NHLPA over controversial head coach hire
The Edmonton Oilers are doing their due diligence this Monday before potentially bringing Mike Babcock back into the NHL as head coach.
According to TSN's Darren Dreger, the Oilers have reached out to the NHLPA to determine whether any objections need to be resolved before a hire can move forward.
Babcock resigned from the Columbus Blue Jackets in December 2023 amid allegations that he invaded players' privacy, specifically that he required players to show him personal photos on their phones.
The NHLPA's involvement here is not a formality.
It signals that at least some players, or the union itself, may have standing concerns about what it would mean for the locker room if Babcock is handed a bench behind an Oilers team full of veterans with their own opinions.
- Darren Dreger
Edmonton finished the season 41-30-11 with 93 points, a 6-2-2 run over their last 10 games, and no head coach listed in the current staff data.
GM Stan Bowman is the one driving this search.
That name alone should give you pause. Bowman was fired by Chicago following the independent investigation into the 2010 sexual assault of Kyle Beach. Now he's potentially pairing with Babcock, the coach who stepped down over the phone photo scandal.
Two of the most scrutinized figures in recent NHL history, teaming up in Edmonton. Is this really the organizational culture reset a team built around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl deserves?
Babcock's return hinges on NHLPA clearing a very specific path
Dreger noted that further investigation may be required before any decision is made.
That's not a green light. That's a process with real friction built in, and the union has every right to pump the brakes.
The Oilers scored 282 goals this past season, third-highest output in the Pacific Division, so the offensive infrastructure is clearly there.
Finding the right voice for that room is the real job.
Babcock was once considered among the best bench bosses in the league, with Stanley Cup rings and Olympic gold on his resume. But his reputation took a direct hit, and the NHLPA's consultation role here suggests the league isn't simply going to wave this through.
What happens next depends entirely on what the NHLPA finds, or decides.
And in Edmonton, every day without a head coach is a day McDavid's prime quietly ticks forward.
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 6, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mitch Marner | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brayden McNabb | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Martinook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jackson Blake | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Karlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jaccob Slavin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||