The Edmonton Oilers’ leading players say they are sold on their new bench boss. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman all voiced their seals of approval for Mike Babcock on Monday at Hyman’s annual charity golf tournament in Toronto. The Oilers hired Babcock as head coach last month to replace Kris Knoblauch, who they fired in early May. Edmonton bowed out of this year’s playoffs in the first round, losing in six games to the Anaheim Ducks, after back-to-back campaigns in which they made the Stanley Cup Final only to lose to the Florida Panthers both times. There had been rumoured grumblings about coaching as the season wore on, with players at times expressing their frustration. McDavid, the Oilers’ superstar captain and reigning National Hockey League scoring champ, said he’s excited by the opportunity to play for the 16-year veteran who’s been in “every big game there is to coach in.” “He’s not going to need to come in and find who he is as a coach,” McDavid told reporters at the Oakdale Golf and Country Club. “He knows what he’s about as a coach, and it’s our job as players to be ready to go.” The Oilers’ core leadership group – including McDavid, Draisaitl and Hyman – met Babcock before he was hired. Hyman, 34, played for the 63-year-old Saskatoon native for five seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I had a very good experience with Mike in Toronto,” Hyman said. “I thought that he did a great job with a lot of the young players that were there ... I think he’s a phenomenal coach. I think extremely highly of him.” Draisaitl said the players are “extremely excited” to have Babcock as coach. “I think he’s the right guy to get us to where we want to get to,” the 30-year-old former NHL scoring leader and most-valuable player said. “It’s a different look and a change in personality, but I’m very excited to learn from him.” Babcock, who coached the Detroit Red Wings to a Stanley Cup victory in 2008 and twice guided Team Canada to gold medals, hasn’t coached an NHL game since late 2019 with the Maple Leafs. The Columbus Blue Jackets had hired Babcock as coach three years ago, but he quit before the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA) could complete an investigation into allegations he infringed on player privacy. The NHL cleared Babcock in mid-June following an investigation it launched at the NHLPA’s request. TSN reported in early June that the Oilers consulted with the NHLPA about any player objections before potentially hiring him. “There’s history there, but I think we got that all off the table,” Draisaitl said of meeting with Babcock before his hiring. “We had an honest conversation about it. He was very honest about it, and I think, for us, it’s time to move on and look forward to the year.” The 17-year veteran coach has also coached the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and has a career regular-season head coaching record of 700-418-164 with 19 ties. Missing Nurse but ‘part of the business’ McDavid said watching longtime teammate Darnell Nurse be dealt to the San Jose Sharks on July 1 was “extremely disappointing” but understands the move is “part of the business.” “It’s hard to put into words what Nurse has (meant) to not only me but the whole group and everybody in Edmonton,” he said of the 11-year veteran who was drafted by the team in 2013. Nurse had reportedly asked the Oilers to trade him in early June, eventually dealing him and his $9.25-million annual salary on the day NHL free agency opened for fellow defencemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp. Hyman said it was difficult to see Nurse leave. “It’s hard any time one of the core guys who’s been there forever decides to leave,” he said. “It’s just a part of the sport. He’s always going to be a great friend. Our families are pretty close. We’ve got kids around the same age, so we’ll definitely miss him around the rink.” Nurse, while a constant and aggressive presence on the Oilers’ blueline over his career, at times struggled to live up to the eight-year, $74-million contract he signed five years ago. The Oilers didn’t retain any of the 31-year-old’s salary as part of the deal. Edmonton signed free-agent defenceman Ryan Shea, 29, to a five-year, $20-million deal immediately after trading Nurse and five days later inked Mukhamadullin, 24, to a two-year, $3.5-million contract extension.
