Head coach Mike Babcock announces a major captaincy change in Edmonton that Oilers fans will love

Evan Bouchard is getting a bigger voice in Edmonton, with Mike Babcock placing an A on the defenceman's chest for the 2026-27 season.

Zach Hyman is getting the same treatment. With Darnell Nurse gone, the Oilers have filled the opening in their leadership structure by turning to two established pieces around Connor McDavid.

This isn't a line shuffle or a camp experiment. Edmonton is changing who carries formal responsibility inside the locker room as a new season begins.

For Bouchard, the move stands out. The Oilers aren't just leaning on him to drive offence from the blue line anymore. They're attaching a leadership role to his place in the core.

Hyman's selection carries a different weight. His reputation has been built around work around the crease, hard minutes and a willingness to play inside traffic alongside Edmonton's biggest offensive names.

And the timing matters. Nurse's departure created a vacancy that had to be filled, giving Babcock an early opportunity to put his stamp on the room.

Edmonton reshapes the voices around McDavid

The team graphic makes the change impossible to miss: Bouchard and Hyman are presented among Edmonton's leadership group around McDavid and his C.

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That makes this more than a ceremonial announcement. An A determines who is expected to communicate with officials, settle the bench and carry another layer of accountability when games start turning.

Bouchard now enters that territory while already holding one of the most demanding jobs on the roster. Edmonton runs major possessions through him from the back end, and his decisions can dictate how quickly the Oilers move from defence into attack.

Hyman gives Babcock a forward with a different presence. His game is built closer to the net, around puck battles and repeated pressure, giving the leadership group another voice from the top six.

The larger message is about succession. Edmonton lost one established alternate captain and didn't simply hand the letter to one replacement. The Oilers spread that responsibility across Bouchard and Hyman.

McDavid remains at the center of everything, but the circle around him has changed. Babcock's first leadership setup in Edmonton now carries two fresh A's into the season.

For Bouchard and Hyman, the expectations just moved beyond production. Their voices now carry a letter.

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