OilersNation has no direct affiliation to the Edmonton Oilers, Oilers Entertainment Group, NHL, or NHLPA
Leon Draisaitl welcomes Mike Babcock’s accountability, but will it apply to every Oiler?
Photo credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
By baggedmilk
Aug 22, 2026, 13:30 EDTUpdated: Aug 22, 2026, 12:30 EDT
Is anyone else excited/intrigued to see what Mike Babcock taking over behind the Oilers’ bench means for accountability, because that part of the hire feels like the one of the biggest pros for dragging him out retirement. His reputation is his reputation, and we’ve talked about it a million times by now that there’s not much sense in running in circles on that again. What I’m more interested in is what his version of Oilers accountability actually looks like once the season starts and the mistakes start landing from throughout the lineup.
We’ve all seen this team make more than its share of mistakes, where the Babcock hire really starts to get interesting to me. We’ve seen plenty of depth players get stapled to the bench over the years, whether that meant losing shifts after a bad mistake, getting punted to the press box after a bad run, or spending the third period watching everyone else play because Kris Knoblauch wanted to make a point. That stuff happens all the time, and a lot of the time it’s deserved.
What we haven’t always seen with our beloved Oilers, however, is that same standard applied to the big dogs up the lineup, and that’s the part I’m wondering about with Babs. If Leon Draisaitl floats on a back check and waves his stick at the puck, does he miss a shift? If Evan Bouchard tries to force a home-run pass through three dudes and it ends up going sideways, does that get handled the same way it would for Ty Emberson? I’m not saying the answer has to be dramatic, but I do think the answer matters.
Yesterday, Leon Draisaitl talked about his new coach at the European Player Media Tour, and it had me thinking about how this year is going to play out when it comes to holding guys to account. When talking to NHL.com, Draisaitl didn’t sound like a guy who’s worried about being coached hard. If anything, he sounded like someone who understands that this group needed something different after the way last season played out.
“I think he’s got a very clear plan, and I think he holds guys accountable, and I think to him, it’s not about who it is when it comes to accountability, you know?”
At face value, Leon is absolutely right. If it’s not about who it is when we’re talking about guys being checked for making mistakes. Not because the Oilers need someone yelling for the sake of yelling, but because consistency has been one of the things this team hasn’t exactly been great with over the years. Kris Knoblauch didn’t handle accountability evenly. Some guys got plenty of rope, while others would get stapled to the bench for long stretches of time. I understand that stars get the soft touch because they’re the best players on the team (in the league), and I’m not pretending Connor McDavid should be coached exactly like someone on the fourth line. At the same time, there has to be a standard that reaches everyone to avoid the risk of looking like a dick who plays favourites.
That’s also why I liked what Leon said next.
“Like, we’re looking to be coached. We’re looking to get better. And I sometimes deserve (to be yelled at) too, just like anyone else does. I don’t think Babs is going to care overly much who we are in terms of that. I think sometimes that’s needed.”
That’s a great quote in August, and I really do mean that, but I also wonder if that tune changes once accountability isn’t just summer chatter anymore. It’s all well and good to say you want to be pushed before the season starts, but it’s another thing entirely when Mike Babcock is on you in the middle of November for a bad read, a soft back check, or a night when the details just weren’t good enough. Will everyone still be as open to cracking the whip when it’s actually happening? Will everyone still be on board when we’re not just talking about it? That’s the part I’m fascinated to watch because buy-in is always easy when everyone is playing nice in the summer.
Those details matter because being a tough coach doesn’t automatically mean you’re a good coach. Same goes for being a guy who won something 20 years ago before any of your current players were even in the league. But I do think holding guys to account can be great for this group if the message is clear and consistent. But if accountability gets spotty or only lands with certain players, then I don’t think it’ll be long before guys check out. The Oilers don’t need another season where everyone talks about lessons and details while the same problems keep showing up every night. They need this summer talk to actually mean something, and that only happens if the players who drive the bus are part of the same process as the ones lower in the lineup.
Draisaitl also admitted that the Oilers never really found their game last season, which is probably the most honest way to describe what we watched all year.
“I do think that we never were able to really grab and find our game throughout 82 games,” Draisaitl said. “You see it every year, the teams that are good, there’s a pattern that they create and build over 82 games. They know what their game is. And I think we kind of missed that. We never really found what we were as a group.”
The Oilers aren’t coming off a season where everything was humming and the only problem was bad luck. They had way too many nights where they looked dangerous offensively, only to piss the game away because their structure was loose, the defensive details weren’t good enough, and the team looked like they couldn’t defend to save their lives. If Babcock can help them build consistency over 82 games and have the boys actually take the regular season seriously, then maybe the hard coaching becomes less about punishment and more about making sure the same mistakes don’t keep shooting them in the foot.
That’s why Leon’s final comment made sense to me too.
“I think he’s just going to bring a different attitude and a different mentality to our group. I think it’s exactly what we need right now. I think he’s going to bring something different, a different look. Everyone’s very excited about it and looking forward to working with him.”
After two trips to the Stanley Cup Final and a first-round exit that felt like a very real step backward, I understand why the players were ready for a new voice. Babcock has won everything there is to win in this sport, he has coached big names, and he has been around enough high-pressure situations that the noise in Edmonton won’t surprise him. The question we all have is whether the approach has evolved enough to work with this group and this version of the NHL, because the old-school reputation only helps if the message behind it lands night after night.
We don’t need Babcock to turn every screw up into some kind of accountability clown show, and I don’t think every bad shift needs to become a benching just so everyone knows who swings the stick around here. But what I do want to see is that whatever Babcock’s standard of discipline is gets applied consistently, and throughout the lineup. If a depth guy misses an assignment, deal with it. If a star cheats for offence, deal with that too. If a defenceman tries to force something that isn’t there, have the hard talk you need to have. Babcock’s discipline doesn’t necessarily have to look the same all the time, but it should at least feel like everyone is pulling the same rope with the same level of expectations for execution.
We’ve heard the boys say a few times this summer that the Oilers are looking to be coached, and wanting that kind of bench boss is a pretty good place to start. The tricky part will be finding out what being coached by Mike Babcock actually looks like when the nice August quotes turn into game days, dealing with mistakes, and real decisions get made behind the bench that may not be the most popular moves.
PRESENTED BY NATION GEAR
THE OFFSEASON SOCIAL CLUB HAS ARRIVED! The new era of Nation Gear starts here. Introducing the Nation Gear x Levelwear Offseason Social Club Collection — a limited edition collection built for the fans who know the sports lifestyle doesn’t stop. Designed for golf rounds, patio hangs, weekend trips, and every plan in between, this collection blends premium performance with everyday leisure. It’s versatile enough to dress up, comfortable enough to live in, and made for wherever the offseason takes you. Because being a sports fan isn’t a season — it’s a personality. Welcome to the club. Shop the Offseason Social Club now. nationgear.ca
Breaking News
- Leon Draisaitl welcomes Mike Babcock’s accountability, but will it apply to every Oiler?
- Oilers’ Josh Samanski goes incognito at German festival to find romance
- Draisaitl proud to play NHL games in native Germany: ‘This is very special’
- Oilersnation Radio: We want to go watch the Oilers play in Germany
- NHL teases release of new Hometown Remix jerseys and apparel
Edmonton OilersTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$99,274,166
$87,350,000
Projected Cap Space
$4,725,834
$26,150,000
Current Cap Space
$4,725,834
$26,150,000
Active Players
23/23
15/23
Draft Picks
Round
'26
'27
1
0
0
2
1
1
3
1
0