- The NHL has officially opened its investigation into Mike Babcock’s 2023 Columbus resignation
- The probe was held until after the Cup Final and ties directly to Edmonton’s interest in hiring him
- Read below for what the NHLPA is reportedly bringing and where it leaves the Oilers
The NHL is finally digging into how Mike Babcock left Columbus.
With the season over, the league has officially opened its investigation into Babcock’s 2023 resignation as Blue Jackets head coach. Elliotte Friedman broke the news Monday night:
The league sat on this until the Cup was handed out. Carolina closed out Vegas 3-0 on Sunday to win the Final in six games, and the NHL waited for that to wrap before getting started.
The NHLPA pushed for the probe after word spread that the Oilers want Babcock as their next head coach.
Babcock’s Columbus tenure barely existed. He took the job on July 1, 2023, and was gone by the middle of September, before coaching a single regular-season game.
Allegations that he asked players to show him personal photos on their phones turned into an invasion-of-privacy issue, and both the NHL and the union looked into it back then. Frank Seravalli spelled out how quickly it came apart:
This time the union reportedly has more than the cellphone photos. The NHLPA has significant additional claims about Babcock’s conduct, according to ESPN.
The purpose of the new investigation is to figure out whether Babcock faces league discipline, or whether he is even eligible to coach the Oilers.
The mood around him had been trending the other way. Just last week, Chris Johnston said people close to the situation expected Babcock to be cleared once the probe finished, and Edmonton’s core, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl included, had already met with him and signed off.
Edmonton wanted an answer before free agency. Now the Oilers wait on the league.
