Babcock Defends McDavid and Draisaitl Line Strategy in Edmonton

Edmonton Oilers coach Mike Babcock is defending his decision to play Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together as the team navigates injuries at center and inconsistent production from its supporting forwards. Speaking to reporters during the 2026-27 NHL season, Babcock said the pairing has delivered results while insisting that depth players must earn offensive opportunities through stronger puck battles and sustained possession.

According to Yahoo News Canada on October 20, Edmonton entered the discussion with a 6-1-1 record despite multiple injuries at center. McDavid and Draisaitl had combined for a substantial share of the team's five-on-five production, while the Oilers struggled to maintain the same scoring advantage when neither star was on the ice.

Through Edmonton's first eight games, the two forwards had played 108 minutes together at five-on-five, outscoring opponents 15-1 during those minutes. In situations without either player on the ice, Edmonton had been outscored 11-6, producing a combined 21 goals for and 12 against across the two deployment situations.

Asked whether the stars' success came at the expense of Edmonton's other lines, Babcock rejected the suggestion.

"No," Babcock said.

After briefly dismissing the premise, the coach made clear that he intended to maintain his approach while evaluating how the lineup performed as the season progressed.

"Anybody else?" Babcock said.

### Babcock demands more from depth forwards

In comments reported by Markerzone on October 18, Babcock emphasized that younger forwards must create their own opportunities instead of relying on Edmonton's leading scorers to do the difficult work for them. He pointed to repeated possessions ending without sustained offensive pressure as a problem the team needed to address.

"You're seeing one and done, one and done, one and done. You can't be one and done," Babcock said.

The coach said NHL opponents make puck possession difficult and that young players must establish themselves through physical play, winning races and recovering possession. His expectations apply to forwards seeking greater responsibility, including Isaac Howard, Joshua Samanski, Colton Dach and Max Jones.

"You got to be heavy. And the hardest thing about the National Hockey League is no one lets you have the puck," Babcock said.

He also stressed that Edmonton would not simply provide possession to players who had yet to demonstrate they could win it. The coach connected individual effort to the team's ability to sustain attacks and generate better scoring opportunities.

"We're not giving it to you. You got to earn it," Babcock said.

His message focused on the physical demands of maintaining possession against NHL opponents rather than relying on offensive skill alone.

"Your stick's got to be a crowbar," Babcock said.

Babcock described defensive-zone play as the demanding part of a forward's responsibilities and the offensive zone as the place where successful puck battles can produce scoring chances.

"D-zone's the work zone. Hang out in the fun zone," Babcock said.

### Edmonton evaluates its star pairing

Babcock has also stressed that McDavid and Draisaitl face the same expectations as every other player. Both stars indicated before the season that they wanted the coach to challenge them, prompting questions about how he intends to develop their games while maintaining consistent standards across the roster.

"What I'm trying to do is I'm trying to have a standard, and that's an Edmonton Oilers standard," Babcock said. "This is the way play, and this is what we do, and this is how we can be successful. We are building out game."

The coach said feedback depends on each player's performance rather than reputation. His approach includes correcting mistakes and reinforcing the actions that meet the team's expectations.

"And we're doing the same with those guys (McDavid and Draisaitl). Like anybody, when you like what they do, you tell them. When you don't like what they do, you try to help them do it right," Babcock said.

Although Babcock indicated that a healthier roster could lead him to separate the two stars more frequently, he said the current combination had generally worked well. Edmonton's early-season results will remain a factor as he assesses the lineup.

"I'm just going to just be like you guys. I'm going to watch and I'm going to sort it out as time goes on," Babcock said. "Right now, though, to your point, it's worked good for us on most nights so far."

### Supporting forwards face production pressure

Edmonton's secondary scoring remains an important issue as injuries affect its center depth. According to Markerzone's October 18 report, Howard had recorded two assists without a goal, while Samanski had one assist. Dach and Jones were still searching for their first points and each had a minus-4 rating.

Vasily Podkolzin, whose contract was reported at $2,950,000, had scored seven goals. The Oilers had also recorded a 5-0-0 road record at that stage of the season.

Edmonton responded to a Thursday loss to Utah with a 6-2 victory on Saturday. McDavid played 19:52 and recorded five points, approximately six minutes less ice time than in the previous game, according to Markerzone.

The Oilers' upcoming schedule listed home games against Minnesota on Tuesday, Carolina on Thursday and Toronto on Saturday night, giving the team further opportunities to assess its forward combinations and secondary production.