April 21, 2025, Los Angeles, California, USA: CONNOR MCDAVID of the NHL, Eishockey Herren, USA s Edmonton Oilers skates during warmups before a game against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Quarter Finals at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California on April 21, 2025 Los Angeles USA - ZUMAc239 20250421_zsp_c239_016 Copyright: xAlexxCavex
April 21, 2025, Los Angeles, California, USA: CONNOR MCDAVID of the NHL, Eishockey Herren, USA s Edmonton Oilers skates during warmups before a game against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Quarter Finals at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California on April 21, 2025 Los Angeles USA - ZUMAc239 20250421_zsp_c239_016 Copyright: xAlexxCavex
Center Connor McDavid has expressed his thoughts on the direction the Edmonton Oilers are headed. He talked about how the franchise needs a new approach, referring to the new head coach, Mike Babcock.
"Everybody in that room is going to have to sacrifice themselves," McDavid said, per Sportsnet. "Everyone's got to take a little bit less, so everybody can take a little bit more."
McDavid's comments come from experience, especially regarding how the Oilers have played in recent years. He and Leon Draisaitl have borne the burden of carrying the team for a long time now.
Mar 10, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) celebrates his first period goal with center Leon Draisaitl (29) and center Connor McDavid (97) against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Mar 10, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) celebrates his first period goal with center Leon Draisaitl (29) and center Connor McDavid (97) against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
In an interview with Sportsnet this week, McDavid explained why he and the team's core picked out Babcock and what they expect him to bring to the table.
"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," he said. "That doesn't leave much for anybody else."
McDavid is not complaining about his teammates' performance but rather talking about the fact that the Oilers rely too much on a small group of elite players, while the rest of the roster does little to contribute.
"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 said.
He mentioned how the core leadership group with himself, Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman were the ones who pushed the team toward Babcock.
"We brought Babs in to be hard on me. And Leon. The top guys, that's who we want to point the finger at."
Mike Babcock’s return draws scrutiny
With Edmonton now officially hiring Babcock as its head coach this week, the coaching search was one of the most closely watched ones in a while.
They quickly hired him after the league cleared him to return to coaching in the NHL. This was regarding the 78-day stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023.
Babcock's time with them came to an end before he even got to coach a single game because of the serious concerns raised by players and the NHLPA.
Despite all that, Babcock's résumé is still one of the strongest ones out there. He has won a Stanley Cup championship, back-to-back Olympic gold medals with Team Canada in 2010 and 2014. This is the reason why Edmonton pursued him even if it was a long and difficult process.
But McDavid's words about the hire add some assurance to the fans. Whether this arrangement will last a full season or not, both the coach and the captain appear to have the same goal in mind.
Read more at NHL Fan Central!
Written by
Aadhya Nalla
Edited by
Shubhi Rathore