"If you came with a warning label, what would it say?"
After living through the turbulent hockey news cycle that was Monday, June 8, I don't know if the Edmonton Oilers front office is capable of reading any such label, not even the one attached to a bottle of spray-on sunscreen.
Even then, for fear of combustion, the Oilers would probably have to be held out of the sunlight that is the press after whatever the team's front office tried on Monday.
The move in question? The Oilers are apparently consulting with the NHLPA over the potential decision to appoint Mike Babcock as their next head coach.
And according to Elliotte Friedman, the news is real.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
No that's not me laughing at Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Or the average reaction to the Dallas Cowboys falling short of expectations.
That was my first reaction to the news that the Oilers were even considering bringing in Babcock as their next head coach.
Yes, the same Babcock that made Maple Leafs rookie, Mitch Marner rank his teammates before showing them to said players.
And the same Babcock that resigned from Columbus because of invasive behaviour.
My other reaction: seriously?
Friedman did clarify in a piece published on Monday that, despite the Oilers' leadership being on board and having the final say, the NHL Players' Association came out against the potential move and that the NHL would also have to sign off on it. TSN insider Darren Dreger added that the NHL would manage any required investigation.
If it’s determined an investigation is required to move forward, sources say the NHL would manage it. At this stage, the NHLPA has declined to comment. https://t.co/pgmmBYA3Di
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 8, 2026
John Tortorella is a thing, but this thing is not that thing
Not to defend this news or the decision-making, but when one thinks of the Babcock news a little more, they might think of Vegas hiring John Tortorella prior to their ongoing playoff run. In that, one might think that Edmonton is trying to replicate what they did by hiring someone who will do what it takes to win while almost certainly lighting a fire to get a team going.
But there's a difference when it comes to such bad press.
Tortorella is an example of someone who gives that to some extent. Whether its publicly calling out players on live TV, humiliating reporters and answering their phones, or storming into the Calgary Flames' locker room, Tortorella is the kind of coach who will back his team and who will get under people's skin. And despite such bad press, he's the kind of coach who can get results out of a team.
But that's just bad press.
The Babcock news is bad press with a heavy side of controversy. Spice level: extreme.
Tortorella might be in a Stanley Cup Final, but Edmonton's taking the "let's hire a controversial coach that has demonstrated postseason success" tactic way too far.
Even if the players truly want Babcock as their next head coach, history suggests that there's an extremely good chance that he overstays his welcome and oversteps some boundaries in doing so.
And alongside mention of his postseason struggles since taking the Detroit Red Wings to two Stanley Cup Finals, fans and the media alike did not take kindly to the news.
Talk about success.
What even is next?
The hope here is that either the NHL doesn't sign off on the hire or the Oilers pivot to somebody else.
And one of those ideally should happen, especially with another Cup-or-bust campaign coming up for Connor McDavid and the roster. The last thing a roster like that of the Oilers, especially one that has to be focused on winning the Cup, needs is a coach with significant controversy attached coming in and potentially derailing the mainly-positive momentum the team has made on the ice up to this point.
