Edmonton Oilers make official decision on coach Paul Coffey's future with team

Paul Coffey joined the Oilers bench when Kris Knoblauch was hired back in November of 2023. Although he had no experience as a pro coach and was relatively unwilling to leave retirement for the job, Coffey led the team's defence for the last two seasons.

According to a new report from Oilers insider Jason Gregor, Paul Coffey will not be returning, but assistant coach Mark Stuart will be the only one to stay.

Paul Coffey must have had a tremendous personal impact on the players in the locker room for the incredible experience he provides, but it also was probably time to move on. Coffey himself was unsure of returning last season, once again pondering retirement at 64 years old.

The Oilers saw a bizarre uptick this season in shots from the point, which more often than not becomes a waste of puck possession. Also through the playoffs, Darnell Nurse continued to see ice time above Jake Walman despite the latter being far more effective.

For these two reasons, Coffey's deployment of the defence this season didn't help the Oilers.

Now that Coach Knoblauch has established himself as a bona-fide NHL coach, he should get full direction over his coaching staff to play the brand of hockey he wants.

One consistent and effective message from the coaching staff, controlled by Knoblauch, will be an improvement over what the Oilers ran this season. Hopefully, if he struggles again, the Oilers will have the guts to reduce Nurse's minutes in the playoffs - regardless of his contract.