When the Edmonton Oilers turned heads across the hockey world by bringing in former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock back behind an NHL bench, the immediate question wasn't just how the hockey world would react, but how the leadership group inside the locker room would receive the hire.  

Speaking at his annual charity golf tournament, former Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman provided key insight into why Edmonton’s core endorsed the decision. Having broken into the league under Babcock in Toronto, Hyman believes the veteran bench boss was instrumental in establishing his habits as an NHLer.  

"I obviously had a very good experience with Mike in Toronto. And I thought that he did a great job with a lot of the young players that were there, the young guys that were there," Hyman said. "All of us have had pretty long careers and are still playing, and he set the foundation for us. So I think he's a phenomenal coach. I think extremely highly of him."  

Babcock’s tenure in Toronto ended in late 2019 following a series of controversial off-ice incidents and player-management friction. His return to the league involved thorough vetting from both league authorities and player representatives.

"I'm happy he went through the process with the NHL and the NHLPA and all those questions were answered," Hyman added. "And I think from a player's standpoint, we're excited for what he brings."  

In modern professional sports, high-level coaching hires rarely happen without direct involvement from franchise cornerstones. Edmonton made sure Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were part of the dialogue before making any formal commitments.  

"I think that's everything," Hyman said regarding player input. "I think that's where sports is going. Players have a lot of insight into, especially players of their caliber, into what they're looking for. We all want to win. That's the goal. I think to have the ability to actually talk to somebody before they come in and understand what they would do and what their philosophy is and how they like to coach... to be able to talk to them before the decision is made, I think it was a great experience."  

Draisaitl echoed those thoughts, confirming the dialogue was blunt and necessary.  

"As we all know, there's history there," Draisaitl noted. "But I think we got that all off the table. We had an honest conversation about it. He was very honest about it. I think for us, it's time to move on and look forward to the start of the year... I think it's just the time that we're all in in our career, I guess the age that we're in, and I think he's the right guy to get us to where we want to get to."  

 For McDavid, the decision comes down to proven execution on the game's biggest stages.  

"We see a great opportunity to be coached by someone who's coached in every single big game there is to coach in, who's been successful, won Cups, gold medals, you name it, he's done it," McDavid said. "With where our group's at and what we're looking for, it's the perfect fit. He's not going to need to come in and find who he is as a coach. He knows what he's about, and it's our job as players to be ready to go."

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