Mike Babcock says he felt “aligned” after meeting with the Edmonton Oilers‘ star players on what needs to change to be successful and win the Stanley Cup, saying they’re “all in” on winning.

During his introductory press conference, Babcock faced a barrage of questions related to his past and how this opportunity to coach Edmonton came about.

A key interaction before the organization officially hired the 63-year-old as their next head coach was an honest and direct conversation between Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Mike Babcock.

Out of that meeting, Babcock felt excited about the opportunity.

The Oilers are searching for that elusive Stanley Cup, as Leon Draisaitl turns 31 in October and Connor McDavid turns 30 in January. They’ve been to the brink twice, losing in Game 7 and Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, but haven’t reached the mountaintop.

The pressure is amplified with McDavid taking a team-friendly, two-year contract at the same $12.5 million to help the Oilers acquire pieces to contend. With the dismissal of coach Kris Knoblauch, there was a push for an experienced voice.

Babcock hasn’t coached behind an NHL bench since 2019, but won a Stanley Cup in 2008 and two Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014. However, he’s lost his last five playoff series. His last series win came in 2013.

But this will be his most veteran group since his Detroit days, and with the strong approval from these current Oilers, the organization felt comfortable plowing ahead.

While there are allusions to marginalizing players on the low end of the lineup, Babcock believes it’s the opposite — he demands more of his best players.

“I believe we’re going to empower all those players, and they’re going to love it as much as anybody,” said Babcock. “I think it’s the big dogs that are going to (think)… ‘he’s going to make me do that. He wants me to do that.’ I think it’s harder on them.”

When asked specifically about what needs to change with how they play, Babcock referenced Steve Yzerman and how he needed to change his game to win a Stanley Cup in his 14th NHL season.

“Steve is a good friend of mine. He’ll tell you in a second, he’d rather win the Cups. We’re not asking him (McDavid) to score less. We’re asking them to do things right to make everyone else on the team feel important, and play (maybe not) different than their game, but in a different way, in some details of the game. I’ve walked through this in detail with them. They say they’re in.