Mike Babcock is not coming to save the Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers may have hit rock bottom Thursday night, suffering a 6-0 humiliating loss at the hands of the Florida Panthers for their seventh consecutive defeat. Fans threw their jerseys on the ice… it was ugly. But nothing is ugly then the team’s record: after opening the season 9-1, the Oilers have dropped out of the playoff picture with their record sitting at 18-16-2.

And so, the thought of firing head coach Dave Tippett has come up more than once. Fans are already attempting to guess who will replace him behind the net, though one option seems to be already out of the cards. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that Mike Babcock has no intention to coach in the NHL this season.

Babcock was once the highest-paid head coach in the National Hockey League, but now, he is standing behind the bench of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. Earlier in 2021, Babs agreed to take over as head coach of the Huskies replacing Dave Adolph, who retired in April after 28 years with the program.

In the past, it was rumoured that Oilers GM Ken Holland and Babcock had been in contact, though Dreger now says the former NHL coach intends on staying with the U of S until their season is over end of March.

Holland himself admitted on the Cam and Strick podcast earlier this season that he would recommend Babcock to clubs around the league despite the backlash he got for poor actions taken on players in Detroit and during his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Holland maintained that coaching players has changed in the past 15 years and that Babcock didn’t do everything perfectly, but he recalled good times with Babs and his passion, and stuck to his statement that he would recommend him for a job back in the NHL.

One could say that the Oilers really need an ass-whooping, but Babcock won’t be the one giving it at the moment.

On top of that, Dreger also mentioned that former Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice has also been suggested as a potential option, though Maurice isn’t returning to an NHL bench this season. Next season?

Insider Ryan Rishaug for TSN has however reported that he does not believe a coaching is coming - at least today. While he explains what could save Tippett's job at the moment, he also took the liberty to suggest some candidates to take over behind the Oilers' bench. It's all here: