There aren't many people in Edmonton who know Mike Babcock better than Zach Hyman.
He spent four seasons playing for him in Toronto. He was there long before Babcock became one of the league's most polarizing figures. He experienced demanding practices, high standards and the daily expectations that came with playing for a coach who had already won a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold and hundreds of NHL games.
So when Hyman speaks about Babcock, people should probably listen.
That doesn't mean his opinion settles the debate, though.
What Hyman says about Babcock doesn't erase what happened in Toronto, and it certainly doesn't erase the NHLPA's request for a formal investigation before Babcock ever coached a game in Columbus. Those events are part of his coaching career, and they'll follow him wherever he goes.
To his credit, Hyman was simply trying to offer a different perspective on the matter.
Players don't all leave the same coach with the same opinion. Scotty Bowman wasn't universally loved. Neither was Darryl Sutter. Joel Quenneville had players who would defend his name in any room and others who couldn't wait to leave.
That's what happens in any sport.
The same coach can challenge one player in exactly the right way and completely lose another. Hyman's experience clearly fell into the first category.
He has spoken about Babcock with respect, and Hyman has built a reputation for saying exactly what he believes. He isn't interested in saying what people want to hear or creating headlines. If he has something to say, it's usually measured, thoughtful and worth hearing.
That was the case here.
The conversation around Babcock has almost completely centred on the past, which is understandable given everything that's happened over the last several years. Everybody wants to know about Toronto, Columbus, or Detroit. Every debate seems to end in the same place.
Meanwhile, the Oilers are trying to figure out what comes next.
Edmonton isn't interested in the Mike Babcock of 2014. The organization is hiring a coach in 2026, and whether that works or fails will depend on the people inside that dressing room far more than the headlines that continue to follow him.
Hyman knows the coach and the team.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl aren't young stars trying to find their way anymore. They've been through deep playoff runs, heartbreaking losses and coaching changes. Most of the veterans in Edmonton have experienced enough success to understand the difference between a coach pushing players and a coach losing the room.
Players like Hyman, McDavid and Draisaitl will have as much influence over the environment as the coach himself. Veteran dressing rooms tend to police themselves, and successful teams usually have honest conversations long before problems grow into something bigger.
That's one reason Hyman's comments stand out: they suggest he believes that the relationship can work.
Nobody knows whether Mike Babcock has changed. Only time will answer that question.
What is clear is that Zach Hyman isn't carrying around the resentment that some have assumed every former player must have. His experience was different, and he wasn't afraid to say so.
This simply adds another voice to a conversation that has often been reduced to one side or the other.
The Oilers still have questions to answer before opening night, so does Babcock, but Hyman reminded everyone that careers are built on relationships, and not every player walked away from Mike Babcock with the same story to tell.
That's an important distinction, especially with a new season on the horizon.
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