NHL Makes Final Decision on Mike Babcock's Future After Investigation

The NHL concluded its investigation into Mike Babcock, and the league's ruling is good news for the Edmonton Oilers.

"Now that the league has cleared Mike Babcock, word is the Oilers will formally begin the process of hiring him - contract negotiations, etc," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman posted on X. "Assuming no snags, timeline appears to be early next week."

Babcock was looked into over allegations of inappropriate behavior for demanding players allow him to look through their phones during his time as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets back in 2023.

The NHL determined there was no foundation to keep Babcock from accepting the Oilers' head-coaching job if offered to him - something Oilers fans have been very outspoken about not wanting to happen.

"While we found the allegations of Mike Babcock’s conduct as the Columbus Blue Jackets’ head coach very concerning, the League has decided that there is no current basis on which to restrict his employment. Moving forward, we expect that Mr. Babcock will uphold the high standards required of NHL head coaches," the NHLPA said in a statement.

Sportsnet's Mark Spector reported the Oilers expected an NHL investigation and they were confident there would be no issue with Babcock's employment.

"Babcock, 63, was grilled by the Oilers leaders in a meeting last week," Spector wrote. "[He was] asked about former transgressions and how, exactly, he came to own a reputation as the hardest of hard-[expletive] coaches who crosses the line often enough to be black-balled since 2023 - and they came away with one implicit instruction for general manager Stan Bowman: ‘This is our guy. We want to be pushed.'"

Babcock was also previously in hot water several times for questionable behavior before his stint in Columbus.

He was also accused of bullying former Detroit Red Wings player Johan Franzen into having a nervous breakdown, asking former Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner to rank his former teammates based on their effort level, and healthy scratching players like Mike Modano and Mike Commodore due to a personal vendettas.

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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 12:55 PM.