Mike Babcock doesn't have the luxury of easing into his return to NHL coaching.
The Edmonton Oilers have started poorly in eight of their last several seasons, a pattern that already cost head coaches Todd McLellan and Jay Woodcroft their jobs.
Even Kris Knoblauch, who led Edmonton to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, dealt with slow starts in each of those two seasons.
That history is exactly why the pressure on Babcock is real, not manufactured. A chunk of the fanbase and plenty of NHL commentators are already uneasy about his hiring.
The fastest way to change that tone is simple. Win early, and the noise fades on its own.
Edmonton opens with a soft stretch, facing Vancouver twice and Seattle once, two teams that missed the playoffs last season.
"If the Edmonton Oilers start anything but perfect or near perfect with the schedule they have, there's gonna be some explaining to do," said The FAN Hockey Show's Matt Marchese.
Why the real test comes right after that soft start
That easy opening stretch doesn't last. Edmonton follows it with Anaheim, San Jose, Los Angeles, Utah twice, Minnesota, and Carolina, all teams expected to be in the playoff mix.
Six wins out of those first ten games would count as a genuinely strong start given that stretch of competition.
Connor McDavid posted 138 points in 82 games last season, and Leon Draisaitl added 97 points in just 65 games, giving Babcock as much offensive firepower as any coach in the league.
Draisaitl himself has already pointed out the tighter window here, with McDavid entering the final two years of his current deal.
Former Kings assistant GM Mike Futa noted Edmonton's history of slow starts often traced back to fatigue from deep playoff runs in prior years, something that shouldn't be a factor after this offseason.
Goaltending remains the same question mark it's always been in Edmonton, and puck luck will matter as much as system changes early on.
If Babcock gets six wins out of that brutal middle stretch, the questions about his hiring start answering themselves. If not, camp optimism turns into real scrutiny fast.
Will the Oilers get off to a strong start under Mike Babcock this season?
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