If Babcock Fails, It's All on McDavid and Draisaitl

There’s a funny thing about being a superstar in the NHL. Everybody wants to have a voice. Everybody wants to be heard. And when a team is trying to win a Stanley Cup, the biggest players quite reasonably expect to have some say in how that happens.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl apparently did exactly that when the Edmonton Oilers were deciding on their next coach. They reportedly pushed for Mike Babcock, believing his demanding style and willingness to hold players accountable could be what the team needed. Fair enough. I believe stars in hockey aren’t listened to enough.

But there’s another side to that decision that hasn't received nearly as much attention.

What happens if McDavid and Draisaitl are wrong?

That's what makes the Babcock experiment particularly interesting. Normally, when a coaching hire doesn't work, players can shrug and say, “That wasn't our decision.” The general manager hired the coach. The president approved it. The owner signed the cheques. The players showed up and did their jobs. That escape hatch may not be quite as available to McDavid and Draisaitl this time.

If the Oilers struggle, if Babcock's methods don't translate to today's NHL, or if the relationship between coach and players becomes uncomfortable, Edmonton's two biggest stars will have to live with the fact that they helped open this particular door.

And maybe that's not a bad thing. In fact, it could be exactly what the Oilers need. There's a difference between wanting accountability and being willing to accept accountability. In August, it's easy to say you want a coach who will challenge you. It's another thing when it's January, the team is struggling, and that same coach is telling the best player in the world that he needs to be better.

The season will be the real test for the Babcock experiment.

McDavid has already shown an extraordinary amount of patience with the Oilers. He's gone through coaching changes, roster changes and two painful trips to the Stanley Cup Final. He has stayed. He has committed to Edmonton again. So this isn't about suggesting one bad season suddenly sends him looking for the exit.

That would be getting ahead of the story. The more interesting question is whether this experience changes his faith in the organization's direction. If Babcock works, wonderful. McDavid and Draisaitl will have helped identify the kind of coach they believed could push the Oilers over the top.

But if it doesn't work, there won't be quite as much room to say the problem was simply somebody else's idea.

The Oilers’ two superstars asked for accountability. Now they’ll get it!

Now they get to see what it feels like when accountability comes back the other way. That's a pretty fascinating experiment for a team with a championship window this important. And perhaps that's the part nobody is really saying out loud.

The Babcock experiment isn't just about whether the coach can handle McDavid and Draisaitl. It's also about whether McDavid and Draisaitl are prepared to live with the consequences of getting the coach they asked for.