- Leon Draisaitl says Mike Babcock has been “awesome” through Edmonton’s informal skates
- Babcock runs an NHL practice for the first time since 2019 when Oilers camp opens next week
- Read below for what Connor McDavid said about the new coach a day earlier
Leon Draisaitl is sold on Mike Babcock.
Edmonton’s leadership group has been on the ice at Rogers Place all week for captains’ skates, and Draisaitl was asked Thursday for his early read on the new head coach.
“He’s just so clear. He knows what this team needs, and he doesn’t shy away from telling you straight to your face. He’s a real man about it, and we’re all men in here, and we all want to win. We’re all here for the same reason. I think he’s going to be great.”
The 30-year-old had nothing but good things to say about how the last few weeks have gone.
“It’s been great so far. He’s been awesome with us. He’s been communicating really well, and I’m excited to learn from him. I think we’re all extremely excited to be around him and get to work.”
Watch the full scrum:
Plenty of people outside the room have spent the summer questioning whether Babcock and his old-school approach were the right call. The 63-year-old hasn’t coached an NHL game since the Maple Leafs fired him in November 2019.
Babcock got the job in June, replacing Kris Knoblauch after a six-game first-round loss to Anaheim ended the season in April.
Connor McDavid got the same line of questioning after Wednesday’s skate and landed in the same place.
“There’s been good conversations, lots of conversations throughout the summer. It’s all been very positive, very good. Everything’s in a great place coming into camp.”
The captain also said the room has stripped out the egos and wants a coach who matches its intensity:
Draisaitl also talked Thursday about what an unusually long offseason did for a group that had gone to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals before Anaheim knocked them out.
“We want more short summers, but this one might have came at the right time.”
Everybody says the right things in September. Babcock takes his first Oilers practice when camp opens next week, and the season starts Sept. 29 against Vancouver.
