I’ve mentioned this before, but the 2026-27 season has the same feel as the year Edmonton hired Pat Quinn as head coach. Please read this.
Mr. Quinn, who was an outstanding coach in his prime, had lost his fastball by the time he landed at YEG. Mike Babcock is extremely likely to be more successful than Quinn, but there are similarities that include a multi-year gap between coaching assignments.
This edition of the Oilers, could win the Stanley Cup, or Babcock could be home by Christmas. Seriously.
We already have some concerning verbal to deal with, including the ongoing suggestions that McDavid-Draisaitl will be together at five-on-five and Josh Brown will play a regular shift in 2026-27. This tells us Babcock’s impressions of the team from afar, and on their own are just saying words.
It does offer clues about direction and lack of familiarity. I think the biggest question for fans is this: how long before Babcock figures out this roster? That answer will inform us about the future. Coaches can get stubborn, you know. Quinn ran J-F Jacques with Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky in 2009-10. They played 69 minutes together, going 4-3 goals (seriously) but it wasn’t ideal. Shot, Corsi and expected goals all under 50 percent.
What will Babcock do? I think he might move McDavid to the wing, and that could be the reason for playing 97-29 together. I also think we’re going to see some young players take on bigger roles, including Matt Savoie, Vasily Podkolzin, Josh Samanski and Devon Levi.
I can’t say these things will happen with any guarantee, because Babcock is old school in that he makes his decision on you and it sticks. I can say these things should happen.
On the Lowdown today, our guests will be Shawn Belle at 1pm and Jason Gregor at 1:20. We’ll talk Oilers training camp, Elks winning in Calgary, Jays losing in Sacremento. Noon to 2pm, Sports 1440 and YouTube.
About McDavid
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7570382/2026/09/07/connor-mcdavid-edmonton-oilers-stats-defence/
As you stated, I do believe McDavid suffers from trying to do to much.
Both he and Draisaitl have spoken about how they feel scoring is “their” job. They get paid to produce. Shift to shift they ALWAYS try to make something happen. They do not play to wait for opportunity.
Defenders are well prepared for them, and happy to spend a shift of boring, no event hockey.
When you put both Connor and Leon together my lord they can be magic, but they also want to turn every single puck possession into a scoring chance. Whats the matter with this? It is predicable. And defendable. Keep them to the outside and let them cycle. Third forward ends up standing in front for low percentage point shots.
They will always get their points, but thats a lot of horsepower going into those points.
Sometimes you need to let the game flow, sometimes dump, sometimes carry. Let the winger work, take opportunity as it comes. Not every shift has to be an event.
With Connor-Leon together, every shift is an event, good and bad, but high event. With all the talk of responsible team play, roles, everyone must add value, loading up Connor-Leon seems like going back to a one line team and praying for lines 2-4 breaking even. This does not seem logical.
If no one else is scoring McDavid-Leon the Coach know they need to push which takes vast energy. Hopefully Babcock can squeeze enough goals from the bottom 6 where you don’t have to see Connor-Leon forcing plays with a 3-1 lead at the 10 minute mark of the third.
I don’t agree with this.
“It is predicable. And defendable.”
Not really, they still win their minutes. The idea around it was that loading up the top line ’empowers’ the other lines to not defer to the big guns. They just aren’t talented enough to do that.
“Not every shift has to be an event.
The events historically have been overwhelmingly in their favour when this happens. Third forward is Zach Hyman who ended up scoring 50 parking in front of the net or Corey Perry who scored 20 at age 40.
Scoring is their job. They are exceptional at it. Make the team around them better so they don’t have to play as many minutes to remain competitive in the NHL.
Re: verbal surrounding Josh Brown &McDavid/Drai playing together.
I’m starting to hold space that this may be more of a Stauffer led narrative or at least partially led.
I’ve been getting more and more curious regarding Stauffer’s influence on the organization instead of just being the mouth piece. It’d definitely be unconventional for the radio show host to have influence on the org but he has been around forever, appears to be incredibly loyal to the org, very regularly meets with Bowman (as per his radio show where they live in the same building), and he is very connected especially to western based agents/coaches etc.
His takes seem to be getting more pointed and persistent especially around the coaching search and some of the roster ideas and deployment.
Food for thought
Plus there was the rumour that the Bruce Cassidy not allowed to interview with the Oilers leak came from an Oilers source “not in management”
The same building instead of food what about cocktails for thought.
I will wait to see the effort the new coach puts in. As you get older there tends to be a decrease in energy and enthusiasm.
This may be just about Babcock’s ego and he wants to prove he can still coach, and looking forward to a reminiscence tour of old rinks and best restaurants. Does he share the same drive as the players for Stanley? Or does he just want a few final laps in the coaches chair?
Im not guessing, Im just saying we don’t know, and need to see the real Babcock go to work.
From accounts, Babcock has been in the office grinding all summer long – at the rink.
@NHL_Sid
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Good luck.
I know I made similar post before but…
Somebody signed Josh Brown for 3 years and intended that he play. Knobs wouldn’t play him.
Somebody signed Frederic long term and insisted he play on first line, combined with Leon-Connor. Knobs gave in but did not agree for long.
Coach Knoblauch is no longer here but that somebody still is, and I think they fully intend to see their beliefs to fruition.
I strongly believe based on all evidence that Frederic was a Knoblauch ask. He put him in a ludicrous position and stuck with him generally much longer than logic would have dictated. He got the “that’s my guy” treatment from the start – including playing in the playoffs ahead of several players despite being physically unable.
As for Brown – Bowman wasn’t the GM. Are you saying Jackson is still in a position to dictate that he be played?
There has been a push on for Brown and that push is coming from the inside.
Has there been a push for Brown?
This has been solely related to Stuaff mentioning it mid-summer and then backing off it and qualifying Brown on the team with “if there are 2-3 injuries”.
I don’t think Stan was forcing knob to play Freddi on thr first line. In his recent interviews, Bowman has implied the opposite – that he was miscast early in the season last year and it was not good for him.
Brown playing in the cup finals… yeah that might have been a Jeff Jackson move
Who do you think wanted to open the season with Connor-Leon?
Then if one was forced to open the season with Connor-Leon, who chose Frederic as the third?
I think coach Knoblauch could see Freddi struggling from the moment of the trade, he would have faded him if he could. It is not a secret that Knoblauch was at odds with management.
If the same push comes a couple years in a row under different coaches, the push is coming from inside. (my opinion)
Brown was signed by Jackson, prior to Bowman being in the org.
If management was going to force Brown to play, it would have happened by now – I think it would be much easier to force Knob to do something than Babcock.
Brown was given the opportunity after he signed and he was terrible and not much has changed.
The verbal is always to get all 4 lines involved but the chasm of depth this team has had has necessitated overplaying 97 and 29 (and bad goalies).
Samanski didn’t piss a drop and was still a godsend compared to what else was available; he didn’t lose his minutes like everyone else.
It’s always been a quality thing more than coaching imo (although the Glimmer drug is potent).
I still don’t like that so much relies on Savoie and Howard taking another step.
Babs isn’t immune to reality. If the depth can’t at least not lose them games we’ll be in the same situation by Christmas as LT says.
The ceiling of this team depends on JDick and the goalies.
Lord help us.
Agreed on depth not being enough, but the coaching was less than top level as well for me. Two rookies in a row was not a great idea.
With Savoie missing training camp he will most likely be off to a slow start. This will be a big opportunity for the coaching staff to get a close look at other options for the top line, which I would assume to be McDavid & Hyman, if indeed the Nuge is destined for the third line center or LW. Certainly the verbal is to get all four lines involved. IMO to achieve that would be to simply have the four best options centering each line and that would be McDavid, Leon, Nuge & Dickinson in that order. There’re enough wingers to full fill the different roles on each line, including Samanski, who may possibly find more offence as a winger and still have the ability to play centre when required. I think there will be competition between Samanski & Howard making the final cut and I would expect Samanski to win because of his flexibility, size, and two way play, which the coach might enjoy. In this regard I’m not so sure that there really is an abundance of reliance on Savoie & Howard taking another step. That’s my analysis anyway, I may be a little off, but i guess we’ll see.
Ya I’m with you. I think the ability for the team to be Stanley calibre (not playoff calibre, they’re there regardless) hinges on Savoie and Howard taking steps to solidify the top 6 and potential of the 3rd line respectively. Savoie back and legit (I think he will be) allows Nuge at 3C. We agree that is crucial. It doesn’t happen if 1 of those kids can’t hold up imo.
Howard legit scoring on the softs with Nuge means you can load up JD and any assortment of Dach, Fred or other BEEF on the 4th doing hard time stifling and crashing.
I think we agree on the spine looking like that gives the team its best chance to reach its ceiling. I think if the 3rd line isn’t scoring enough, with Howard being the best chance for that to happen imo, it’ll mean the 4th line gets scrapped and then we’re in a similar situation to last year.
Samanski pissed drops in the playoffs. He also pisses drops in Germany, in Bakersfield, at the Olympics and in the World Championships.
He cheated for defence last season and that should relent with comfort in the league that will be provided by playing nightly 10-12 minutes per night (plus PK). He is not a black hole offensive player and I think he will be able to help this team win and he should gain Babcock’s trust with his responsible play.
I’m not Fib I don’t need the copy paste response defending him. I think he’s got upside.
“He is not a black hole offensive player” I didn’t say this, and it has nothing to do with what I said about him. He scored 4 points in 24 games and scored 1 playoff goal. Good for him. That’s a low bar to clear that the rest of the team couldn’t do.
Which was my point. The depth was so weak that it allowed a relative unknown to eat some lunches. Which is good for Josh, not great for the result of the team last year.
Michael Traikos on Twitter
Sidney Crosby said the Oilers are getting a “really organized” coach in Mike Babcock:
“Really good bench management when it comes to matching lines … just a feel for the game. He was really good at painting a clear picture on how he wanted us to play and what guys’ jobs were”
Crosby really is the king of not saying anything. He’d be an excellent politician.
Who will be the Oilers’ biggest disappointment this season? Who will be the new Mangiapane, Jeff Skinner, or Tobias Rieder?
My bet is on Jason Dickinson. I think our 3rd line might get caved. Again.
I hope not!
Myself, Im not certain on Walman. And we need him
you must be fun at parties!
I think Babcock has surrounded himself with people he trusts and respects. He will lean on them for support before making any roster decisions. Everything will be calculated tried and tested. No doubt mistakes will be made, but mistakes are an opportunity to learn and improve. This is something Mike Babcock has learnt. If not, well he’ll be gone by Christmas and he knows that.
It’s good that McFarland is a holdover. From what I understand Babcock and DJ have a pre-existing relationship with him. He can help them get up to speed and get to know the roster.
Bowman said MB has his opinions, but wants input and isn’t married to his views, if another idea is better he takes that one. Or dropping less than great ideas. The main thing is constant improvement and open communincation
MB is a very experienced engaged coach. He will have his view on things a few games in, as it should be if you know what you are doing. To me the biggest mystery is are the right players on the roster to play the new system, and how quickly and efficiently can the managers get what’s missing? I’m not sold on the vaunted centre depth because while I like JD, I don’t see him as a 2C. And I’m not sure Nuge can do enough if he’s at C
The centre depth is only a problem if McDavid & Leon play together, otherwise there’s plenty of centre depth. I figure the coaching staff is going to clue in rather quickly .
From accounts, Babcock is quite collaborative and values the opinions from all those around him.
From further accounts, he has spent a ton of time this summer getting in to contact with all the players and starting to build relationships. Doesn’t sound like he’ll be meeting anyone for the first time in the next week.
I think you might be right LT… I’m looking forward to seeing 4 lines actually play and shorter shifts
I feel like the verbal on Josh Brown is largely just Stauffer owing his agent a favor.
Josh Brown surprised me several times last season with his hockey sense being levels above the rest of the Condors D.
Agreed, by all accounts the Josh Brown we saw early a few years ago is not the same as the one last year.
Doesn’t mean he’s NHL quality, but I think the verbal on him might be a bit aggressive considering with the Oil having capspace they can bring him up to be facepunch insurance.
Having guys sit in the stands is not a luxury they’ve been able to afford for years.
I think, or am hoping maybe, that we see the opposite of what we normally do, in that the lesser lights are able to contribute more instead of less. It seems like other teams have better depth players, I think it’s more about environment. Ones that have left are back to normal elsewhere, or contribute more
Who left and got back to normal? Kulak it turned out was ramping up from injury. Can’t think of a recent one.
I think the Oil’s culture other than the well documented mishandling of 2 Blues has rehabbed a few careers. Klingberg, Kane arguably, Brown. The players who left and added more were generally younger with upside ala Blues and Mcleod.
Maybe I’m missing a couple examples.
Josh Brown was very good for the Condors in the first half of the season but not so much in the 2nd half – at least that was my recollection. He was an adequate defender and puck mover at the AHL level but I think the lower speed (and skill) are a big part of that.
remember when we put him in game 1 of the cup finals? That was wild
Stauffer did say Babcock long, long ago.
I think Kapanen is going to be a Babcock favourite. Kinda does it all, and with speed.
I worry about his inconsistent play. He’s quite good with Leon, but may be needed on the Dickinson line. I hope he has a great season, Oilers don’t win anything when there are no Finns.
I like Kapanen on the third line with occasional use on the Drai line when they want a different look. I think he is perfect for that role
I agree, 100%. When they are not loading up and healthy, I have Kap at 3RW (with Howard on 1LW and Savoie on 2RW, for handedness of the youngsters).
At the same time, Podz/Drai/Kap were 6-0 goals in the playoffs last year and 12-3 in the regular season – that is real and that is spectacular – is it sustainable?
was Howard LW in Bako? I thought he usually played his offside for some reason.
I don’t think Kapanen works long term on the second line. I think he gets a bit complacent which is why it may work best in short bursts. Plus i think he brings value to the third line. But especially against a heavier team in playoffs i think it makes sense to put him with Drai
Kap has truly been very inconsistent over his career including most of his time as an Oilers.
With that said, I found him to be quite consistent this past season when in the lineup – except for about a 10 game stretch near the end of the season. For me, when in the lineup this past season, he brought it most of the time, I was quite impressed. His issue this past season was more injury than on-ice consistency (in my opinion). I give this player full kudos for committing to be a better player – I mean, when he first came over via waiver claim he was an atrocious 2-way player, the worst defensive forward on the team and earned his healthy scratches – he was MUCH improved this past season all around.
He’s a bit of a wild card for me – was last season’s on-ice consistency a sign of maturity on the ice (and off the ice, now married, etc.) or a one-off.
He’s in a contract year once again, signing a one-year deal.
I think McDavid is going to be a Babcock favourite. Kinda does it all with speed. He’s got a familiarity with Kapanen and probably knows what makes him tick. He will have a role to play that he will understand and perform as long as he’s healthy.
Kapanen is one of the few guys Babcock has actually coached before AND had his best season under Babcock. Plus, he re-signed knowing Babcock would be the coach.
I think that KK is gonna be given a lot of road and opportunity. If he plays well, he’ll play a lot.
I’m here for the Samanski bigger role reveal.
10-12 5 on 5 minutes per night at center plus PK – this kid is solid and can help the team win.
Fraser Minton 7 X $7.2MM.
I had said if they can get Savoie under $7MM per, I give as much term as possible.
It’s likely to be around $8MM per for term.
I don’t think Savoie should make the same AAV as Minten. He’s not a NHL centre and he’s not over 6 feet and 200 pounds, and hasn’t so far been more productive even with a lot of time with elite centres
I don’t asses player value based primarily on size.
Centres always have more value than wingers especially so when scoring 17 goals on the 3rd line with 16 of those at evens.
This is what I was thinking
I don’t either, I mentioned production, but being a big young NHL C does carry some value over an undersized winger who isn’t producing more
The Bruins snookered the Leafs with the trade for Carlo.
Man, the Bruins have a lot of centres.
Lindholm
Zacha
Geekie
Hagens
Minten
Middlestat
Kuraly
Kastelic
I imagine Hagens is likely to soon replace Lindholm at 1C and it’ll be interesting to see what happens with Zacha.
He will be playing on an expiring $4.75 million and could hit paydirt after a 30 goal season.
I still want to see Mark Kastelic with the Oil.
I agree on the centre part. In 1 year, the AAV will likely be the same. Anything under 8 on a long term deal is just where the league is going now.
Podz will be an interesting contract in a few years but is extreme value for the next 2 years.
Minten’s new deal doesn’t kick in until 2027/28
Minten is a 6’2″ 205 C who had a 61.8% goal share in 82 GP last season.
Minton and Savoie comparables are not close at all. 3rd line Centres with size that can skate and score at evens are a dream. Oilers have been chasing them for 20 years Bowman possibly had one good one. There will be lots of time to talk about this trade for the next 10 years.
May I ask where is the verbal that Josh Brown may play a regular shift? To my knowledge the only Josh Brown talk was a comment by Stauff mid-summer that he could see Josh Brown making the team. Stauff even qualified that a day later by saying only if there are 2-3 injuries. I have not seen anything that implies Josh Brown is likely to be on the roster let alone play a regular shift. Maybe I’ve missed something.
I think we can rest assured that Babcock’s load up will be used more strategically than Knob did. Knob would load up if they were down after 30 minutes, play them every 2nd or 3rd shift, work on a make shift third line every once in a while and completely fade the 11-12F. If it worked, he’d start them together until they lost, split them and repeat.
I am confident that Babcock will load them to take advantage of match-ups and situations and won’t fade a material portion of his forwards and work to keep everyone involved.
This will likely NOT look the same as it has the last two years.
Babcock is going to have Misha Donskov on speed dial.
The season is a marathon 84 games then a long playoff. The Oilers can’t afford 4th line scrubs who’re trying to get noticed the pleasure of taking free runs at Connor-Leon. The Brown name didn’t pop up because the magic fairy was filling feisty. Hopefully this is a wake-up call for the journeyman players who Bowman has added they need to get their hands dirty at times. Bowman has brought in a few others to help Frederic in this aspect. I felt bad for Frederic the load they placed on him last year was unfair.
May I ask where is the verbal that Josh Brown may play a regular shift?
Its Sep 8 and he needs something to talk about
He will play a regular shift in Bakersfield.