There are going to be Edmonton Oilers players who like playing for Mike Babcock more than others. That's going to happen when you hire a coach who has never been shy about correcting players or dishing out responsibility
Leon Draisaitl has already welcomed that part of Babcock's approach, saying he expects Edmonton's new coach to hold everyone accountable regardless of where they sit in the lineup. Draisaitl even included himself among the players who sometimes deserve to hear it from the coach.
But there are several players who don't have nearly as much room for error as Draisaitl.
Colton Dach, Matt Savoie, Isaac Howard, and Josh Samanski are still finding their way into roles, and none of them should expect minutes to be handed over without earning them. But that's usually how things work for young players anyway, regardless of who's standing behind the bench.
With veterans, Babcock has no reason to be attached to the roles they had before he arrived.
The Oilers brought in Trent Frederic because they wanted some size and bite in their bottom six. Too often, however, the focus surrounds what Frederic is not doing. Babcock is the guy to point that out.
Frederic has to finish checks, get involved around the net, go hard on the forecheck and be reliable enough that Babcock doesn't have to think twice about sending him over the boards.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is in a completely different situation.
Nugent-Hopkins has been in Edmonton long enough to play for nearly every type of coach imaginable, and his ability to move around the lineup has always helped him. He can play beside McDavid, move onto another line, kill penalties and remain an important part of the power play. Coaches trust him because there aren't many situations where putting Nugent-Hopkins on the ice is going to create a problem.
However, Babcock isn't going to care that Nugent-Hopkins has traditionally occupied a certain spot in the lineup if he thinks somebody else can give him more there. With Savoie and Howard, Babcock has some options if he wants to move things around.
Jake Walman might have even more to prove.
The Oilers have made a major commitment to Walman, and he's going to be an important part of their defence. Walman is at his best when he gets net front and blocks shots. The problem is he doesn't like to do it all the time.
Evan Bouchard will probably get talked to more by Babcock than he has in his career.
Bouchard is very important to Edmonton's offence; that much is obvious. It's also obvious that parts of Bouchard's game can drive a coach insane.
So go back to Draisaitl's comments about accountability. He doesn't expect, nor want, Babcock to ignore mistakes because of the name on the back of the jersey, no matter how much leash a player usually has.
Frederic has the least room to find out how long his is.
He doesn't have the offensive importance of Bouchard, the versatility and history of Nugent-Hopkins or the investment Edmonton has made in Walman. His job depends on doing the things that made the Oilers want him in the first place, and those happen to be the things he hasn't done since he got here.
Draisaitl said the Oilers never really found their game last season, pointing out that the best teams develop a pattern over 82 games and know exactly what their game looks like. Edmonton never reached that point. Babcock was hired in part because the organization believes he can help change that, and establishing roles is going to be part of the process.
Some players can play through a bad week without worrying much about where they stand, while others are going to have somebody waiting for their opportunity as soon as their game slips.
Frederic is one player who will have to make sure Babcock never has much reason to look elsewhere.
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