NHL Analyst Calls 'Desperate' Oilers a 'Ticking Time Bomb'
When news broke on June 8 that the Edmonton Oilers were talking to Mike Babcock to become their new head coach, the entire hockey community was in shock.
Babcock won the Stanley Cup in 2008 with the Detroit Red Wings, and his 700 coaching wins are 12th all-time for an NHL head coach. But he has drawn plenty of scrutiny for both his curious coaching methods and allegations of creating a toxic work environment.
After all, Babcock has not coached in the NHL since 2020, when the Toronto Maple Leafs fired him after a bad season. He then got hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023, but resigned before ever coaching a game for them.
Why? Because he was accused of looking through his players' personal cell phones and seeing what kind of photos they had on them.
It was very weird -- some would even say creepy -- and it cost him his job before he even started it.
But three years later, the Oilers are considering giving him the keys to their franchise in what is a true make-or-break move.
Oilers Are a 'Ticking Time Bomb,' Says Bryan Hayes
Speaking on TSN's SportsCentre, hockey analyst Bryan Hayes was asked his thoughts when he heard the news that the Oilers were speaking to Babcock.
In Hayes' view, this is a "desperate" move by the Oilers, who only have two seasons of guaranteed control over their team captain and league MVP, Connor McDavid.
For Hayes, it's a last-ditch effort to try to win a Stanley Cup with McDavid, and the Oilers are willing to take a gamble even if it might blow up in their faces.
They're a ticking time bomb."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Edmonton Oilers are the most desperate team in the league," Hayes said.
"They're a ticking time bomb. They have two years until the time bomb goes off, and they need to find a way to find the right combination to, I guess, defuse that bomb, so to speak, which is McDavid leaving in two years."
In Hayes' opinion, it won't just be McDavid who potentially leaves Edmonton if they can't win a cup. It could be fellow superstar Leon Draisaitl who wants out, too.
"It won't just be McDavid. Draistail probably puts his hand up too and says, 'Check please. We've tried it here long enough, it's not going to work,'" Hayes said.
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Stan Bowman's Job Is on the Line
It is safe to say Oilers' general manager Stan Bowman's job is on the line.
Since Bowman took over as the Oilers GM in 2024, he has made a ton of bad moves that have left fans scratching their heads, and the Oilers' cap sheet looking rough.
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For instance, he signed bottom-six center Trent Frederic to an eight-year, $30.8 million contract. Frederic is an okay depth piece, but giving him eight years was lunacy. He didn't even play all of Edmonton's games this year, as former head coach Kris Knoblauch healthy scratched him at times.
Another bad move was sending a first-round pick to the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Jake Walman. Again, Walman is an okay depth piece, but trading a first for him was an overpay, and then signing him to a seven-year, $49 million contract was just crazy.
But the move that might finally do Bowman in was acquiring goalie Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins for goalie Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and a second-round pick.
Jarry was on waivers not that long ago, meaning Edmonton or any other team could have picked him up for free. Instead, the Oilers sent three assets to Pittsburgh for him, and when he got to Edmonton, he was statistically one of the league's worst goalies.
It was just a terrible move by Bowman, and one that encapsulates the job that he's done in Edmonton.
Now, Bowman is taking a real risk by bringing in Babcock. As Hayes said, it's a desperate move for a team that's in win-now mode. It's a risk that Edmonton feels is worth taking, but if it doesn't pan out, it might cost Bowman his job -- and McDavid and Draisaitl might leave the team.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 11:37 AM.