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Draisaitl on Babcock’s ‘clear’ communication style: ‘He’s a real man about it’

By Michael Menzies

Sep 11, 2026, 13:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 11, 2026, 13:33 EDT

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Not a ton of revealing commentary from Leon Draisaitl on Thursday, the only Edmonton Oilers player who spoke to the media after a captain’s skate.

A lot of the questions are self-explanatory, as everyone warms up for the start of training camp.

The one notable quote was related to head coach Mike Babcock. Again, these questions have been asked and answered over the course of summer articles, but read this about Babcock’s communication style:

“He’s just so clear,” said Draisaitl about his bench boss. “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 for us.”

A subtle nod toward Knoblauch?

Not to stir up any controversy, but at the very least, this answer draws a distinct difference between Babcock and his predecessor. Then again, that’s part of the reason they made a change in the first place.

Same as McDavid from the day before, Draisaitl was asked whether he thinks there will be more stability with line combinations. Similar sentiments from Draisaitl:

“I do expect a little bit more of it this year,” he said. “I do. However, I think that with the way our team is built, we will always have that shuffle going on a little bit. It might be a little less this year, but that’s more of a coaching question probably than anything. But yeah, we’ll see what Babs and the coaching staff have in mind.”

Draisaitl wants ‘more short summers’

Overall, the long off-season gave Draisaitl time to rest and reflect, he said. He noted that Florida also went through an injury-plagued season, never able to rise to their game after several consecutive long playoff runs.

“Short summers are a great sign,” said Draisaitl. “We want more short summers, but this one might have come at the right time.

“I think we just have to understand that this is where you build your game for games 83 and on. [Creating] these winning environments and these winning streaks, and exactly knowing what the perfect game for you as a team looks like.

“You have to create that over the 82-game season, and I don’t think we did that at all last season. I don’t think that we ever really figured out what our A-game really is, and on top of that, we weren’t able to sustain it. That’s going to be our number one task in the regular season.”

Part of that is the goaltending question. With Frederik Andersen on the shelf to begin the year, it’s a prime opportunity for Tristan Jarry to re-establish himself, while granting Devon Levi the chance to be an NHLer.

Draisaitl said he thinks they have three reliable goalies and is excited to see whether Jarry can bounce back.

“I’m sure that’s his goal,” he said. “I’m sure that’s what he’s worked for this summer: to come in and have a bit of a bounce-back year or a better year than what he finished with us. From what I hear, he’s had a good summer, and he’s worked hard. I’m excited to see it.”

Overall, there’s a lot of excitement and positivity within the Oilers’ ranks, it seems, while on the outside it’s been a maelstrom of noise related to the Alex Formenton signing.

“It’s nice to be back here. It’s nice to be around the guys again, and obviously there’s some fresh vibes around here and a new coaching staff. I’m excited.”

Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He’s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.

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