Connor McDavid made one thing clear about Mike Babcock: if Edmonton's new head coach goes too far inside the locker room, the captain will step in.
That answer carries weight because Babcock arrives in Edmonton with years of controversy attached to previous NHL stops.
McDavid told Sportsnet that Babcock is there to coach his way, but Edmonton's players also have a responsibility to look after one another.
“If there's an area or a place where we have to step in, of course we're going to do that,” McDavid said. He added that the same standard would apply to any coach.
“Babs is there to be Babs and to coach the way that he sees fit,” McDavid said. “We're also a team and teammates who care about each other. If there's an area or a place where we have to step in, of course we're going to do that. But we would do that with any coach. It doesn't matter who it is.”
It's an unusually direct message from a captain before the season even begins. Edmonton hired Babcock on June 23, putting him back behind an NHL bench after nearly three years away.
And McDavid wasn't on the outside of that decision. He and Leon Draisaitl were among the Oilers leaders involved in the process before Babcock was hired.
McDavid puts an early boundary around Babcock
McDavid said both sides challenged each other during the process. Edmonton wanted to know whether Babcock was ready to return with the same intensity the players expect from themselves.
That background makes McDavid's latest comments impossible to brush aside as routine captain talk. The Oilers are giving Babcock another NHL opportunity, but their leadership group clearly understands the questions following him into camp.
Former Maple Leafs forward Daniel Winnik recently warned Edmonton about Babcock, saying his experience under the veteran coach made him hate playing hockey.
Babcock's past also includes the well-known Mitch Marner incident in Toronto, when the young winger was asked to rank teammates and that list was later revealed inside the room.
Leon Draisaitl has offered another perspective, praising Babcock for being direct with players and stressing that everyone in Edmonton shares the same goal.
Still, McDavid has now established the boundary publicly. Babcock gets room to coach, push and demand more - but Edmonton's captain isn't handing him unlimited freedom inside that locker room.
That puts an extra spotlight on every early interaction at Oilers camp. Babcock's return was already one of the NHL's biggest coaching stories. McDavid just added another layer to it.
Will Connor McDavid eventually have to step in with Mike Babcock?
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