What Does Connor McDavid Owe the Last Guy on the Oilers’ Roster?
I've been thinking about the Edmonton Oilers and the Mike Babcock story, but perhaps not for the reason most people probably are. The debate has mostly focused on Babcock himself. Is he still a good coach? Has he changed? Can he help a team win? Is the baggage worth the risk?
Those are fair questions. But the more I thought about it, the more I found myself thinking about someone else. I’m interested in how Connor McDavid is negotiating this in his own thinking.
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Reports indicate that McDavid and the Oilers’ team leaders are comfortable with Babcock as coach.
Reports suggest McDavid and some of Edmonton's veteran leaders are comfortable with the possibility of Babcock coaching the Oilers. Maybe that's true. Maybe it isn't. But it raises a fascinating question that I can't shake. What does McDavid, as a captain, owe the last guy on the roster? The 13th forward or the 7th defenceman? The backup goalie?
We talk about leadership all the time in hockey. Every team wants leaders. Every coach praises leadership. Every captain gets asked about leadership. But most of the time, we talk about leadership as if everyone in the room wants exactly the same thing.
They don't.
On any NHL team, the stars and the depth players are coached differently.
The superstar making $14 million a season doesn't experience the NHL the same way a player fighting for the final roster spot does. The franchise player has security. The depth player lives in a world of uncertainty. The star player knows he'll be in the lineup tomorrow. The fringe player isn't always sure.
And that's where this becomes interesting because one of the criticisms that followed Babcock throughout his career wasn't that every player disliked him. Quite the opposite. Many elite players have spoken positively about him. In truth, the Oilers’ Zach Hyman became a Babcock favourite with the Toronto Maple Leafs because of his ability and desire to dig out pucks. Babcock changed Hyman’s career. That’s good for Hyman and the team.
But not every player had that experience. The criticism of Babcock was often that different players seemed to have different experiences. Some were treated poorly. For example, during a preseason game, new Maple Leafs player Jason Spezza was benched after Babcock knew his whole family was in attendance to watch the local Spezza play in the iconic Blue & White uniform. Why do that, and during a preseason game?
When McDavid supports a coach with a history of thinking like Babcock, what does that say?
If that's true, then a captain supporting a coach like Babcock creates an uncomfortable question. Whose interests is he representing?
The truth is that I think McDavid is the best player (and captain) in the world. In fact, I can easily see the argument from his side. His primary job is to help the Oilers win a Stanley Cup. If he genuinely believes Babcock gives Edmonton a better chance to win, then supporting him may actually be the responsible thing to do.
That doesn’t mean, however, that I like what’s happening in Edmonton. That's what makes this so complicated. Leadership isn't difficult when everyone agrees. Leadership becomes difficult when good values collide.
Related: Bringing Back Evander Kane Is a No-Brainer for the Oilers.
For the Oilers, winning matters. But so do culture, trust, and accountability.
Right now, those things don't point in exactly the same direction. A captain is supposed to represent the room. But what happens when different parts of the room want different things?
What happens when the stars view a situation differently than the players lower in the lineup? What happens when management, coaches, veterans, prospects, and role players all see the same decision through different lenses?
That's the part of leadership we don't talk about very often. We tend to imagine leadership as having the right answers. But maybe leadership is more about carrying the weight of impossible choices. Maybe it's about understanding that every decision helps some people and worries others.
In this question, I care more about McDavid than I do about Babcock.
Maybe that's why I've spent more time thinking about Connor McDavid than Mike Babcock. The coaching story will eventually sort itself out. The leadership question is more difficult.
What does a captain owe the last guy on the roster? I'm not sure I know the answer.
But, with the Oilers, it strikes me as one of the most interesting questions in hockey.