EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers are one of two things.
A charitable, magnanimous and forgiving organization with an open door for any wayward hockey soul seeking a second chance in the sport.
Or, they are Al Davis’ old Oakland Raiders, who were a band of NFL ne’er-do-wells who operated under the banner “Just win, baby.”
Like Oakland, Edmonton is unrepentant of its hiring practices and unfailingly welcoming of players and personnel who had worn out their welcome somewhere else.
But the thing about doling out as many “second chances” as the Oilers have is this: The more times you do it, the easier it is the next time around.
And so Zach Kassian begat Jake Virtanen, who begat Evander Kane, who begat Corey Perry, who begat Stan Bowman, who begat Mike Babcock, who begat Alex Formenton, the latest hire whose presence in Edmonton ate up the first 10 minutes of Bowman’s camp-opening news conference on Wednesday.
“We knew going into it that (the Formenton signing) was something that wasn't going to be universally accepted or embraced,” Bowman said, amid a petition challenging the signing reaching 60,000 signatures and a protest planned for outside the arena on Saturday. “That was why we spent as much time as we did going through the details of it and going through our due diligence to make sure that we believed it was the right decision to make.”
Edmonton has judged that the blowback for hiring Formenton will, in short order, be mostly erased by his on-ice performance. That is exactly what happened with Kassian, Kane and Perry, to be sure.
“I understand that people are going to view it differently, and that's okay. We don’t all have to agree on everything here,” Bowman said of Formenton, one of five players acquitted in a sexual assault trial last year. “We believe that he's going to be an asset to our team on the ice, and also as a teammate.”
We can all likely agree that, among 750 NHL players and the staff or front office of 32 teams, mistakes will be made and there are going to be some second chances required. But the question they’re asking in Edmonton is why is it always the Oilers at the head of the line holding the presidential pardon?
When do the other teams start taking their turns?
“That's true,” acknowledged Bowman, who was pulled out of purgatory after his role in the Kyle Beach scandal in Chicago. “There have been situations in the past several years where the Oilers have been willing to give people an opportunity to come here and get a fresh start. I understand that some people may have fatigue from that.
“I've really felt the support of being here myself. It is a privilege to be here working in this city for these fans.”
Many of those same fans came to love Kassian, Kane and Perry, won over by their passion and production once the puck dropped. The Oilers won’t reverse their decision to sign Formenton to a one-year, $850,000 contract, and will give him the same opportunity to win over his critics.
Babs vs. Bouch
On a team where the best players have made “We want to be coached!” a mantra heading into Babcock’s first season, the ultimate test may come the first time Evan Bouchard gives up that first puck at the offensive blue line for a breakaway goal the other way.
Will the Oilers stars still want to be coached when Leon Draisaitl’s backhand saucer doesn’t make it past the third or fourth stick? When Connor McDavid refuses to dump a puck in late in a one-goal game, and gets stripped at the offensive blue line?
Bouchard has spoken with Babcock about his game and the way it meets the coach’s eye. He says he’s ready for the challenge.
“He made it clear he doesn't want to change things with my game, but he wants to improve things. That's a very fair thing,” said Bouchard, who last season became one of only nine defencemen in NHL history to record 95 points. “Having him around the league for a long, long time, I want to be coached by someone like that.
“I want someone that tells me what they think, and he's going to do that for myself and the rest of the group.”
Lost in the Formenton signing is the fact that Babcock is coming out of purgatory himself, getting a third chance here in Edmonton amid much warning from former players in Detroit and Toronto.
Bowman was asked how he’ll maintain the checks and balances required for a coach whose behaviour in private and on the bench got him into trouble in the past.
“We have been very clear with Mike about what we expect of him, and we're not going to tolerate any of the stuff that you just alluded to,” Bowman said.
All we’ve heard about thus far is Babcock’s preparation, and that he’s a guy who gushes ideas — both good and discardable.
“You know what you're getting with Babs. He is very direct,” Bouchard said. “We're going to be very organized. He hasn't beaten around the bush either — that's a good thing to have in a coach.”
A year ago Bouchard told us, “I’ve got to be better in my worst games.”
How does he think he did on that front?
“There's always work to do,” he admitted. “A lot of it is not to let those mistakes pile up. Making the simple play — not always the home run play. I was caught doing that quite a bit last year, so I think if you can — not dumb it down — but simplify a little bit, it will help things.”
