Babcock to start season with McDavid, Draisaitl on same line for Oilers

EDMONTON -- Mike Babcock is keeping things simple as he begins his first training camp as coach of the Edmonton Oilers.

Babcock said Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will make up two-thirds of the Oilers' top line when they open their season against the Vancouver Canucks on Sept. 29.

The rest he’ll sort out as camp goes along.

“I’m going to try and start with the two of them together, for sure,” Babcock said on Thursday following the first two on-ice sessions. “The third piece on each of those top three lines, I don’t know that. And I also don’t know just on health.”

The question of whether to play McDavid and Draisaitl together or separately has been debated by every Oilers coach for more than a decade.

Babcock is McDavid’s sixth head coach in Edmonton since he entered the League in 2015-16. He will be Draisaitl's seventh head coach and ninth overall since he debuted in 2014-15.  

“I like them both to drive a line, and I think (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) can drive a line. So, what I think we’re going to do is we’re going to learn about each other,” Babcock said. “You guys (media), that’s your job to speculate and come up with these theories, but I don’t have any yet. I’m going to watch them and they’re going to decide, and I think that’s the thing to understand. ... They’re going to decide who plays with who and how much each guy plays, not us.”

Over the years, McDavid and Draisaitl have become accustomed to both scenarios.

What the two would like to see with Babcock, however, is some continuity with the forward lines.

“We’ll see. With our group it’s always flip-flopping,” Draisaitl said. “Obviously, we like some consistency within it of course, but we’ll see how it all plays out. At the end of the day, (Babcock) is the one making the call, the coaching staff is the one group that makes those calls, and we’ll see how it goes.”

Babcock said the first day of training camp was a feeling out process between players and coaches, but he wanted to set the standard for what is expected as the Oilers begin their pursuit of the Stanley Cup, something they haven't won since 1990.

“What I wanted to do is (establish) how we’re going to play without the puck,” said Babcock, who had not run an NHL practice since he was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs 23 games into the 2019-20 season. “We’re playing without the puck, and in order to play here you have to be fit and we’re going to play 12 forwards and everyone is going to be important. So, you have to have a role and you have to understand what it is. I think it’s important you establish your standard and what’s accepted and everybody knows.”

Babcock stressed that the key to success is organization.

The 63-year-old would know, having amassed 700 regular-season wins, which is 12th in NHL history, over 17 seasons with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Detroit Red Wings and Maple Leafs. He also won the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2008, and coached Canada to the gold medal at the Olympics in 2010 (Vancouver) and 2014 (Sochi).

“Star players want to be successful, and in order to be successful, if you’re organized and know where everyone is, they have way more room,” Babcock said. “If you’re not organized, you have less room.”

Players got a feel for Babcock’s attention to detail early in the first practice session on Thursday.

And cutting corners was not an option.

“It was great. It was intense,” Draisaitl said. “He’s energetic. He wants things done a certain way and he wants them done right. I think anyone in the building could hear it and probably see it, but it’s great, the details are great. He cares about the little things, so it was a good first day.”

Draisaitl reiterated the importance of building from practice to practice and game to game in order to achieve the end goal. He knows Babcock won’t let them lapse in that regard.

“That’s your every day,” Draisaitl said. “Your every day is the practices, the details, the little things that I think have gotten away from us a little the last couple of years. Now is the time to dial these back in, and it’s a good start.”