For all the talk about change, Mike Babcock’s first game behind the Edmonton Oilers’ bench looked awfully familiar.
The Oilers still turned the game into a track meet, still needed their offence to rescue them, and still left their coach talking about structure and poor decisions post-game.
That doesn’t necessarily mean nothing has changed. Babcock’s fingerprints were there in how he managed the bench and distributed responsibility, but his debut also showed how difficult it may be to make those changes stick.
Babcock tried to spread the workload
One of Babcock’s biggest priorities entering the season was making the Oilers’ depth more important, intending to keep Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at just over 20 minutes a night. His first game offered an early glimpse of that approach.
McDavid finished at 22:49, while Draisaitl played 21:15. Considering Edmonton spent much of the third period chasing a three-goal deficit before the game eventually went to overtime, Babcock still kept both stars reasonably close to the workload he discussed during camp. At the same time, Colton Dach and Mathieu Joseph each played just under 15 minutes, giving Edmonton’s third line a meaningful role for much of the night.
That balance became harder to maintain as the deficit grew. Babcock acknowledged afterward that he did not get Owen Michaels’ line out enough in the third period because of the score, while saying he “didn’t mind” the work from Dach’s line.
Babcock’s desire to spread the workload doesn’t mean he’ll hesitate to lean on his stars when the situation calls for it. Once Edmonton needed offence late, he reunited McDavid and Draisaitl as the Oilers pushed for the tying goal, a familiar move in Oil Country when the game is on the line.
One game is far too small a sample to say Babcock has meaningfully reduced the workload on Edmonton’s stars, but his debut did show a willingness to give more of the lineup legitimate minutes before the score dictated otherwise.
Mar 6, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Colton Dach (34) looks for a loose puck during the first period in his first game for the Edmonton Oilers against the Carolina Hurricanes at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
The Oilers got away from Babcock hockey
Babcock preached a simple balance during training camp between playing fast and aggressively while maintaining structure. The Oilers showed flashes of that in their season opener, but as the game went on, many of the habits he is trying to eliminate resurfaced.
“I thought we started good and then we didn’t do things right,” he said post-game. “We turned the puck over. We stayed out too long on the ice. We made poor decisions.”
These mistakes quickly became costly, as Edmonton repeatedly got caught with players above the puck or committed too aggressively offensively, giving Vancouver too many opportunities to attack in transition. What had been a manageable game turned into a 5-2 deficit, and the Oilers suddenly needed their offence to rescue them.
Tristan Jarry deserves plenty of the blame after allowing six goals on 23 shots, but the poor goaltending made Edmonton’s breakdowns impossible to miss. Babcock clearly saw the same thing, saying afterward that he felt “fortunate” to come away with a point and noting that the Oilers still gave up three chances in roughly a minute and a half of overtime.
The Oilers showed flashes of the Babcock way on Tuesday, but flashes won’t be enough if this team is serious about changing how it wants to play.
Mar 31, 2018; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers head coach Todd McLellan on his bench against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Can Babcock actually get the Oilers to buy in?
Perhaps the most concerning part of Edmonton’s opener is that this is not a new conversation.
Earlier this year on the Cam and Strick podcast, Pierre McGuire recalled a conversation with then-Oilers head coach Todd McLellan in which McLellan expressed frustration that his team simply would not commit to playing team defence. It was a different roster and a much younger version of Edmonton’s core, but the story feels especially relevant now.
The way McGuire tells it, McLellan’s frustration wasn’t about getting the message across, but rather about whether the players were willing to commit to it consistently. That’s what makes Babcock’s challenge so interesting.
The Oilers can do all the talking they want about structure, discipline and playing the right way, but saying the right things is the easy part. Babcock’s task is getting the group to actually play with those habits over 84 games. One poor game certainly doesn’t mean Babcock’s approach won’t work, as Jarry needed to be better, Edmonton was missing key players, and it was only the first game of the season, but the broader concern is that the Oilers have heard versions of this message before.
Babcock may be as committed to structure and preparation as any coach Edmonton has hired, but installing the system is only half the battle. Getting the players to buy in and stick with it is what will determine whether this version of the Oilers actually looks different.
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