Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl shared his reaction to the team hiring controversial head coach Mike Babcock.

Reaction to the Oilers’ hiring of Babcock has been mixed, but mostly negative, as he returns to the NHL for the first time since 2023, when he was fired before he even coached a game for the Columbus Blue Jackets due to allegedly looking into his players’ cell phone devices.

But the Oilers’ players wanted him to be their head coach, and after the NHL cleared Babcock during their investigation to return to work, the team made the hire official.

Leon Draisaitl Reacts to Mike Babcock’s Hiring

Speaking to Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now, Draisaitl shared his reaction to the news that the Oilers signed Babcock as the team’s next head coach.

“Really excited. We met with Babs, and the meeting was great. Obviously, there were some very up-front conversations about a lot of things. But at the end of the day, he’s going to make us better, and they’re what we’re asking for,” Draisaitl said.

“To me, it seems like everyone is excited. Everyone’s looking forward to knowing that it will be a challenge. Babs will challenge us. Babs will demand the most out of us. But at the end of the day, when you want to get to where we want to get to, you need to demand the most out of every single player, out of every single coach, out of our management group, every single person in our organization just has to demand a little more from each other. I am not worried about Babs doing that.

“That starts with Connor (McDavid), that starts with me. Babs will be hard on us, but I want that, I’m looking for that. I want to get better. I want to become a better hockey player all-around, and I want to help our team win in even more ways than I have.”

Mike Babcock is a High-Risk Hire

There is no doubt that Babcock is a high-risk hire by the Oilers, who have the potential to go only one of two ways: very good or very bad. There is no mid-point with this hire.

If the Oilers win the Stanley Cup, then this hire is going to make the Oilers look like absolute geniuses, as many fans, media, and those in the hockey community have clowned on the franchise after Babcock’s name was first floated as the team’s next head coach.

But if the Oilers bomb out again and lose, then the hire is going to be highly scrutinized. It might cost Oilers GM Stan Bowman his job, and it might make McDavid leave the team in two years when his contract is up.

We’ll see how this year plays out for Edmonton, but there is no doubt the spotlight is going to be on Babcock this season as he tries to take the Oilers to the next level and help capture the first Stanley Cup in the NHL careers for Draisaitl and McDavid.