McDavid backs Babcock’s pressure plan in Edmonton

McDavid backs – Connor McDavid says the Edmonton Oilers are asking for exactly the kind of coaching push Mike Babcock is expected to bring—down to the possibility of getting pulled for a rough shift. The new captain also lays out how Babcock’s message is meant to reshape resp

EDMONTON — Connor McDavid didn’t sound like he was bracing for something.

He sounded like he was waiting for it.

Asked what it will be like if, for the first time in his NHL career, a coach sits him down for a shift or two when he’s having a bad night, McDavid ended his quote with a clear message: “It’s time to have that happen in Edmonton.”

That answer landed just a day after the Edmonton Oilers announced their new head coach on Tuesday—and one day after they named a new captain on Wednesday.

The timing matters. Because two weeks earlier, the Oilers’ three leaders—McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman—met with GM Stan Bowman and told him, “We want to be pushed.”

The thrust of that demand is the same one McDavid confirmed in a Wednesday Sportsnet.ca exclusive, after he said he’s heard the talk about Mike Babcock being hard on players.

McDavid acknowledged the easy version of that reputation. “I know (Babcock) alluded to the fact that it’s easy to say in June — and it is easy to say in June. It might be a little bit different when it’s November.”

Then he brought it back to what he says the team actually wants now. “But we’ve all agreed that this is what we want. This is what we’re looking for.”

McDavid didn’t pretend it would be pleasant. “I don’t plan on having that happen to me very much. But when it does, it’ll be deserved, and we’ll move forward, and we’ll learn from it. It’s time to have that happen in Edmonton. It’s time.”

He added, “I’m excited about that challenge to be pushed by a coach,” and tied it directly to his history in Edmonton: “because it’s been a really long time in Edmonton.”

For months. there’s been plenty of commentary about what Babcock’s approach could look like in practice—especially given the way he’s been described as a demanding coach whose discipline can blur at times. McDavid didn’t dodge that conversation. but the most compelling part of his response came when he connected Babcock’s arrival to a broader shift the Oilers are trying to make.

On Edmonton’s franchise path. McDavid framed it like this: “The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again. and expecting a different result.” Then he said Babcock is bringing a different kind of pressure. “Babs is different. He gives us a different personality. a different approach to our group. and an approach that we’ve probably have never had.”.

McDavid pointed to what’s been tried for “a really long time” and what comes next. “We’ve tried it the same way for a really long time. Let’s try it different.”

In his view, “different” won’t just be a motivational slogan. It means less insulation for the top. “Different,” he said in effect, means “less ice time for McDavid and Draisaitl,” and—back to a demand voiced since about 2019—“more responsibility for everyone else.”

McDavid’s message also includes the hard reality of why the Oilers haven’t been able to finish at the highest level. He referenced Florida beating Edmonton in two Cup Finals, and he argued the reason wasn’t a mystery—it was about team depth and execution “from top to bottom.”

“Everybody in that room is going to have to sacrifice themselves,” McDavid said after a workout session back home in Ontario. “Everyone’s got to take a little bit less, so everybody can take a little bit more.”

As a player expected to carry his share. McDavid said leadership has been part of the problem when only the same handful of men end up doing the heavy lifting. “As some of the best players in the world. we’ve always taken it upon ourselves to lead the charge on the ice. We want to take everything head on, take all the accountability — take everything possible.”.

Then came the admission that it leaves too little for anyone else. “That doesn’t leave much for anybody else,” he admitted. “I still want to be the best player every single night, but that means it might look a little different, and I’m excited about that.”

McDavid’s comments carry an extra edge because he isn’t speaking in generalities about what “pushed” means. He’s described how he used to push back when he wanted more. The source of that pressure is personal: McDavid is known to stand up on a bench mid-play. look over his shoulder at a coach. and say strongly. “C’mon!”—a demand that the story says coaches very seldom refuse.

In the same spirit, the Oilers’ leadership dynamic is clearly part of the conversation in Edmonton. The article points out Draisaitl has his own body language, and frames it as a sign that the two stars may have too much power inside the organization.

That’s also why Babcock’s private message to the team appears to be aimed at reshaping the responsibility of everyone in the room.

On Tuesday, Babcock told the media what he said to the players in private. He said he went over “elements of the Round 1 loss to Anaheim” and laid out what would be different under his rule.

Babcock spoke at his introductory press conference about the need to make more people matter. “If you’re going to have success. all you have to do is watch what happened in this year’s playoffs. ” Babcock said. “Everybody on that team’s got to be important, right down to the guys that don’t play every single night. And the more depth you create, and the more they feel important, the better chance you have to have success.”.

McDavid’s response to the idea that the top guys won’t get everything is blunt. “You’ve got to be sure about yourself, and we have a lot of guys that are sure about themselves,” he said.

Then he poured cold water on the usual regular-season distractions. “There’s not much we can prove in the regular season, there’s just not. What’s another scoring title? A Hart or a Lindsay? you know, it’s all nice stuff, but the only thing we have left to prove is that we can put it all together.”

He framed the remaining gap in their own terms. “We’ve tried it one way for a really long time, and we got close. We got very close. We’re looking for the last 1 per cent.”

When McDavid was asked again about Babcock’s reputation as a coach who has been “hard on the little people,” he gave a direct answer about who he believes should feel that pressure.

“We brought Babs in to be hard on me. And Leon. The top guys — that’s who we want to point the finger at. As the leaders of the team, we are always taking the temperature of the room and assessing things. Of course we’re always watching,” McDavid said.

Then he expanded the list of who he expects Babcock to push. “All I can speak to is him being our head coach today. and we want Babs to come in and be hard on Leon and Nuge and Boosh and Ecky and Heisy. and me. We want to push those guys, and we want him lifting up everybody else. That’s what he’s here to do.”.

McDavid ended with the clearest possible endorsement of the plan. “The new captain said it, and we could not agree more.”

It returns, finally, to the line that started the conversation: “It’s time to have that happen in Edmonton.”

Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid Mike Babcock Leon Draisaitl Zach Hyman Stan Bowman Anaheim Round 1 loss Florida vs Edmonton NHL captain coaching pressure