Mike Babcock's preseason debut behind Edmonton's bench ended in a 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets, and Connor McDavid's future is part of the conversation again.
Saturday night felt different in Edmonton. Babcock stood behind an NHL bench for the first time since 2020, and the Oilers looked like a team that got the message early.
Edmonton hired Babcock back in June, and the fan base split on the decision before he'd coached a single preseason shift.
Bringing back a coach who'd been out of the league for six years looked like a shaky bet at the time.
Handing Babcock the keys to that kind of money is a little like hiring a demolition crew to renovate a mansion. It can work, but somebody's probably getting hurt along the way.
Sean Avery knows Babcock better than most people outside Edmonton's coaching staff right now.
He played for him with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks and joined ON Everyday with Tyler and Liam last week to talk about it.
"I love Mike Babcock," Avery said. "He rode us hard early on, let us run wild in practice, but he taught us how to work."
"I made the NHL as early as I did because of him," Avery said.
McDavid's next contract decision looms over Babcock's honeymoon
Avery didn't sugarcoat the rest of it, either. He said Babcock has burned bridges with players over the years and called him a "devilish character" who keeps guys on edge to win.
Does that old-school act still work in a league this different from the one Babcock left? Avery seems to think Edmonton is exactly the roster built to answer that.
"Now he's got these guys, he's got McDavid," Avery said. "There's a real redemption story here. He likes to win. Whatever it takes to keep his group motivated, that's Babs."
Winnipeg has no time to dwell on Saturday. The Jets host Colorado tonight, still looking to find their game before the results start counting for real.
Edmonton's win streak sits at one, with a 1-0-0 mark over its last 10 games. Winnipeg dropped to 0-1-0 over the same stretch heading into tonight.
The two teams meet again Tuesday in Winnipeg, a quick rematch before the regular season even opens. Ask any Oilers fan and they'll tell you Saturday was a real step.
Babcock's honeymoon looks good on paper right now. How his message lands once the season turns hard, and how a certain captain responds to it, is the story that actually matters.
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Was hiring Mike Babcock the right call for the Oilers?
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