Connor McDavid's latest comments on Kris Knoblauch confirm the rumors

Connor McDavid didn't hold back Monday, and the way he framed Mike Babcock's arrival said plenty about what he thought of the last regime.

Speaking at the 7th Zach Hyman Celebrity Classic in Toronto, McDavid praised his new head coach without much hesitation.

"You name it, he's done it. It's a great opportunity for us players to be coached by somebody like him," McDavid said.

Read between the lines, and that's not just excitement for Babcock. It reads like a quiet dig at everything Kris Knoblauch wasn't.

Knoblauch got fired after Edmonton bounced in the first round this past season, a stunning fall for a team that had reached the Stanley Cup Final in two of the previous three years.

His calm, low key style worked when he first took over. By the end, it had gone stale, and this Oilers group needed a jolt instead of steady hands.

Babcock brings the opposite approach entirely, a coach who's been in every big game there is and isn't shy about saying so.

Draisaitl says a different personality is exactly what's needed

"We see a great opportunity to be coached by someone who's coached in every big game there is," McDavid added, doubling down on the endorsement.

Leon Draisaitl backed the hire just as directly, framing the shift as necessary rather than risky.

"I think he's the right guy to get us to where we want to get to. Obviously, it's a different look, a change in personality, but very excited to learn from him, work with him," Draisaitl said.

McDavid finished this past season with 48 goals and 90 assists for 138 points in 82 games, then managed just 6 points across 6 playoff games in that first round exit.

Draisaitl wasn't far behind, posting 35 goals and 62 assists for 97 points in 65 games before adding 10 points in the same short playoff run.

Neither number is the problem in Edmonton. Getting bounced early with that much talent on the ice is.

"Where our group's at, what we're looking for, it's the perfect fit," McDavid said. "He knows what he's about as a coach. It's our job as players to be ready to go."

That last line lands as more than a compliment to Babcock. It's a promise, and maybe a small admission that the readiness wasn't there before.

Nothing personal against Knoblauch gets said out loud here, but nothing about this framing suggests he was ever the wrong hire either, just the wrong fit for what came next.

Edmonton finished 41-30-11 for 93 points last season, 14th overall, numbers that don't match a roster built around two of the best players alive.

Whether Babcock's edge actually fixes what went wrong in that first round exit is the one thing none of these quotes can answer yet.