'Connor’s the best player in the world': McLellan addresses McDavid, Draisaitl and new Oilers coach Babcock

Not many head coaches are keener on talking more about two of the dangerous opposing players than two of their own key talents, but Detroit’s Todd McLellan warmed to discussing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl playing huge minutes Monday.

So, more talk of centre and former Wings’ captain Dylan Larkin, who wants to be traded to one of 10 teams on his list of preferred destinations, and also big Swedish defenceman Simon Edvinsson, Moritz Seider’s partner who hasn’t signed a new deal and may also want out, brought a large sigh from the ex-Edmonton Oilers bench boss.

McLellan is weary of that topic, but not 97 and 29, apart or on the same line.

So Connor’s going at a pretty incredible clip, eh Todd?

“You think?” offering up a Captain Obvious answer, well aware that McDavid has a staggering 33 points in the first 11 Oiler games, so three points a game, while his buddy Draisaitl has 23 points, tied with Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov for the NHL goals high with 12, nine in the last six games.

What’s the correct way to handle McDavid?

“I have no idea,” said McLellan.

“During my time here, I thought he was doing pretty good and he’s gotten even better. And he’s got a guy riding shotgun with him that people kept saying, ‘don’t play them together … don’t do that because it’ll never work,’ ” laughed McLellan, who once said of No. 29 when playing in McDavid’s shadow, “don’t be afraid to be the best player on the ice.”

Every coach who’s been behind the Oiler bench since 97 and 29 have been here, over 10 years now, has fallen into the rabbit hole where they play them a ton, just because they’re not stupid. They might have them centering their own lines, but when the rubber hits the road and the Oilers are behind, they’re together.

First-year Oiler coach Mike Babcock wants all of his forwards to feel important, preaching that from the first time he hit the ice in training camp, all democratic and all good, but Babcock put 97 and 29 side-by-side. And they’ve played 90 percent of their time together. With Ryan Nugent-Hopkins suffering a lower-body issue in the last pre-season game and missing the first nine games, and fellow centre Jason Dickinson hobbled, the simplest thing would have been to split them up for more offence.

But he hasn’t done it. We all remember Babcock giving McLellan a gentle jab 10 years ago when he was coaching the Maple Leafs and McDavid was double-shifted in a game against Toronto by the then-Oiler coach McLellan.

“When you jam a guy out there every shift, it’s hard to have the same pop,” said Babcock, who later apologized to his former Detroit assistant coach.

It’s hard when you’re the coach and your hands are on the wheel to limit McDavid, who is the NHL’s cheat code with his skating and his hands. So Babcock is playing 97 23:39 a night, while Draisaitl’s at 21:38.

“Connor’s the best player in the world right now and it’s not even close,” said McLellan, who knows he’ll have his hands full Monday night when his Wings play McDavid alongside Draisaitl. “He’s healthy, he can handle those minutes. He’s got an engine that’s incredible. When the whistle goes, those players look back at you when you’re on the bench (coaching), ‘put me out there.’ It’s hard not to do that.”

“You’re trying to win games and Connor’s not tired, he’s not hurt. I don’t blame Mike. I’d play him that much too,” said McLellan, who certainly weighed having McDavid and Draisaitl running their own lines against the damage they can do together ES, not just on the power play.

How often did McLellan weigh together vs. apart?

“When the media wanted to stir things up,” joked McLellan.

“And we had to figure out how to answer it.”

“There’s times when you have to pull them apart. They’re not always going to be on fire … you split them and you’re hoping to get other players going. But clearly Mike made a decision to play them together at the beginning of the year and, in my opinion, I think it’s a great one,” said McLellan.

McDavid has played 204 ES minutes through 11 games, Draisaitl 196:38, almost all of it together. Why do that?

“Because they find their games quickly, the team’s 8-2-1 … a new coach wants to establish a go-to pair that can get the team off to a good start,” said McLellan.

“I think my old friend Woody (Jay Woodcroft) and probably Kris (Knoblauch) aren’t standing here because of their (slow starts), and maybe me too (2018),” said McLellan.

McLellan got a Stanley Cup ring with Babcock in Detroit in 2008, then left to be head coach in San Jose, before coming to the Oilers in 2015. He’s moved on to Los Angeles and now Detroit, in his third season with the Wings.

“I think Mike’s back where he belongs. He’s an outstanding coach. He’s had the rest and ability to look at the game (from the outside) and dive into it. I had that opportunity (to step back) once after Los Angeles. You can take your time (to recharge),” said McLellan, who was back on the NHL horse much quicker than Babcock, however, who was out for seven years.

“When you’re not coaching, you’re not under pressure to win or lose. You can study the game. Maybe more than when you’re in it (day after day),” said McLellan.

And being asked about Larkin, who has given the Wings 10 teams he would agree to be traded to by former Oiler captain and current interim GM Shawn Horcoff, but not Montreal, which makes no sense because two other Americans — Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson — love it there on an emergency Cup contender.

And the six-foot-six Edvinsson, 23, who is a top 2-3 defenceman all day long, but absent.

“I’m on the road again and it (questions) starts up. Every city we go into I end up talking about it and you can tell I’m tired of it,” said McLellan.

“It’s been three or four months for all of us. If we can get to some conclusions in the next little bit, I think it can help our team,” he said.

Larkin has played nine games (one goal, five points) waiting for a trade, with Horcoff clearly not overwhelmed by any trade proposals so far. Minnesota remains the most likely suitor for Larkin as a complement to Joel Eriksson-Ek at centre, with Wild GM Bill Guerin having Larkin on his gold medal Olympic roster. A move for Larkin might help Quinn Hughes make up his mind on signing again, for however long.

But it’s all quiet on the Larkin front.

Same with the left-shot Edvinsson. Horcoff wants to sign him because he’s only 23 and he can play in a top D pairing. Frankly, he should have been signed the minute Vancouver signed Zeev Buium to an eight-year deal for an AAV of $9.38 million after just 76 NHL games. But the owner, Chris Ilitch, may not be giving Horcoff the green light to do that and maybe he doesn’t want Edvinsson making more than Seider.

Whatever, Edvinsson has only scratched the surface as to how good he can be. The market for Edvinsson may be higher than Larkin because the centre is 30, but he’s also locked into a contract for $8.7 million AAV for five more years, which is certainly manageable elsewhere.

The Wings are giving Czech goalie Michal Postava his first NHL start Monday. Postava’s play in the AHL last season made Sebastian Cossa tradeable, and Cossa was dealt to Utah for a first-round draft pick. The Oilers were interested in signing Postava in June 2025 while he was in Europe as a free-agent but Detroit got him.

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