The NHL cleared Mike Babcock to coach again Thursday, reopening the path for the Edmonton Oilers to hire him after the league reviewed the circumstances around his 2023 resignation from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The decision is a significant procedural step, but not a completed hire. Edmonton can now move forward without a league-level barrier, while the organization still must decide whether to finalize a contract and put Babcock back behind an NHL bench.

What happened

The NHL announced on June 18, 2026, that Babcock is clear to coach again. The clearance follows a league review tied to his September 2023 resignation from Columbus.

Babcock left the Blue Jackets before coaching a regular-season game for the club. His exit ended that NHL return before it began, leaving his coaching status subject to scrutiny until Thursday's decision.

Why it matters

The ruling removes the central league hurdle around a potential Oilers hire. It does not make Babcock Edmonton's coach, but it gives the club room to act if it chooses to proceed.

That distinction matters because the next decision now belongs to the Oilers. Any move would carry roster-room and organizational weight because Babcock's previous NHL return ended before he coached a game.

Edmonton's public framing will be important. The club would have to explain why it views Babcock as the right choice now, after the league's review cleared the procedural path but did not erase the context of his Columbus resignation.

By the numbers

Babcock resigned from Columbus in September 2023. The NHL clearance arrived June 18, 2026, nearly three years after that resignation.

He did not coach a regular-season game for the Blue Jackets. That remains the defining piece of context around his most recent NHL job and the reason Thursday's decision carries more weight than a standard coaching availability update.

What to watch next

The next step is whether Edmonton finalizes a contract. Until that happens, the Oilers have a clearer path but no official coaching move.

Any player or front-office reaction will shape the next phase of the story. The league has made its ruling, and the attention now shifts to how Edmonton handles the decision publicly and internally.