Mike Babcock still sounds like the demanding coach Toronto remembers. He also sounds like something new.
The 63-year-old keeps preaching structure, pace, and detail, and he was visibly frustrated after Monday's practice when his team failed to execute with precision.
But repeated through his media session were two simple phrases. "I don't have a clue," and "I don't have the answer."
That's not the tone typically associated with Babcock's public persona from his Toronto tenure.
Asked about playing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together on the same line, Babcock explained the logic around depth-line ice time, then immediately pulled back.
"I don't have a clue, but that's what you guys are supposed to do. You're speculating on what I'm going to do. I'm telling you right now, I don't have a clue what I'm going to do. I'm going to watch them," Babcock said.
McDavid posted 138 points in 82 games last season, and Draisaitl added 97 points in just 65 games, giving Babcock plenty of firepower regardless of how he eventually deploys them.
Why this uncertainty could actually be a good sign
Asked how important it was for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to succeed at second-line center rather than on the wing, Babcock gave a similarly open answer.
"I tried to answer this question a whole bunch of times, but I'm going to say it again. I don't know. I'm watching them," Babcock said.
Nugent-Hopkins posted 56 points in 72 games last season, and where he ultimately fits remains genuinely undecided this early in camp, according to his own coach.
-
Babcock has a track record of studying other successful coaches and adopting their best practices, something he reportedly did again this summer digging into what top teams are doing league-wide.
Edmonton finished 41-30-11 last season, third overall, a roster with real expectations that now has a coach openly admitting he's still learning what he has to work with.
There's real value in a coach who admits what he doesn't know rather than locking into rigid positions before the season even starts.
Whether that humility translates into results is a separate question entirely, but this version of Babcock isn't quite what many expected walking into Edmonton.
Does Babcock's early humility make you more confident in his ability to coach the Oilers?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Major news breaks as Maple Leafs hierarchy reportedly faces a major shakeup
