Mike Babcock Took the Oilers Job. Now the Fun Starts

Mike Babcock might want to stock up on throat lozenges. If the first couple of Edmonton Oilers games are any indication, he’ll be doing a lot of talking — and probably a lot of yelling — about mistakes. Babcock was hired to bring more structure and accountability to an Oilers team that has sometimes relied on its offensive talent to overcome its mistakes. The team leadership specifically asked him to do just that.

But who knew just how much the Oilers would demand of his unique talent for critique? The team sure has given him plenty to work with early in the season. Which raises an important question: Is owner Daryl Katz still running Rexall?

Unfortunately for Babcock, the answer is no. Katz sold the company in 2016. So much for getting the coach a lifetime supply of throat lozenges.

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If Babcock Was Hired to Get in the Players’ Faces, He’s Going to Earn His Salary

Oilers hired the guy to get in faces, demand structure, and stop the circus. Two games in against the Canucks and the circus is still very much in town. Only now it’s louder, messier, and somehow even more ridiculous. (And that’s Babcock’s own term for what he’s seeing.)

Game 1 was the 6-5 overtime loss that Babcock flat-out called “ridiculous.” Turnovers, long shifts, soft coverage, six goals against on a night when Evan Bouchard put up five points. And it still wasn’t enough. Blame it on opening night, new coach, growing pains. Move on.

Then came Thursday in Vancouver. The Oilers jumped out to an 8-2 lead and somehow turned it into a 9-7 survival job. McDavid had five points; the elite Oilers’ players did elite player things. Still, Edmonton almost found a way to give it away. Babcock liked the first 40 minutes. After that? Not so much. Same old problems: defensive structure vanishing, shaky goaltending, and a team that can score its way out of almost anything until it can’t.

Forgetting the Ridiculous Nature of the Games, It’s a Hot Start for the Oilers

Three points out of four is a decent start on the scoreboard. By eye, it’s pure chaos. The Canucks, for all their early-season mess, at least looked like they were competing and never quit. The Oilers looked like a star-driven group that can overwhelm you for stretches and then leak goals the moment they stop doing the little things.

This is exactly the kind of hockey Babcock was brought in to kill. The long shifts. The soft defensive-zone coverage. The “we’ll just outscore them” mentality that has haunted this franchise for years. In fact, you could argue the outscore-them mentality has never been more obvious.

Babcock already used the word “ridiculous” once. After the second game, he had changed his language to point out “tons of examples” of where they need to get better. At this rate he’s going to lose his voice before the first road trip is over.

Will Babcock’s Yelling Work, or Is This the Real Oilers’ Team?

Maybe the yelling works. Maybe the structure eventually sticks. Right now, there’s no evidence Babcock has made any difference for the better. Or maybe Edmonton is just destined to be this entertaining, high-event, slightly unhinged team no matter who’s behind the bench.

Two games in and it’s already clear: Babcock has a big job to do. That is, if he’s even capable of doing it. The Oilers are still very much an Edmonton kind of hockey team. And if the defensive side doesn’t clean up soon, that raspy Babcock voice is going to get a serious workout.

Related: McDavid Starts New Tradition, And Newest Oiler Rewarded After Team Escapes with 9-7 Win