Oilers insider updates reports of more major coaching changes coming
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The Edmonton Oilers reported on Monday that several changes have been made to their coaching staff.
Paul Coffey is moving from his previous position as an assistant coach to his new advisory role in the front office. Also, Paul McFarland is the Oilers new Power Play Specialist, and Conor Allen the new Skills Development Coach.
Just earlier this week, insider Jason Gregor reported that the Oilers may be building a goalie department in Dustin Schwartz's absence - but it won't come to pass this year.
Though each of these changes will contribute toward making the Oilers a more competitive team, it is the change in the goalie coach position that may have the greatest impact on the club next season, given the instability the Oilers face in that position, and the critical roles the goalies played in the last two Stanley Cup Finals.
Peter Aubrey was hired as the Oilers new goalie coach, and will be likely be a part of the upcoming structural changes in his department.
"I was told there are discussions about developing a more robust and deeper goalie department," Jason Gregor was reported saying. "I wonder if part of that is due to ensuring they get the right person to oversee that job...Aubrey will focus on the present and spend as much time getting to know Skinner and Pickard."
The 48-year old Peter Aubrey was part of the Chicago Blackhawks organization from 2015-23, and spent the last two seasons as the goalie coach for the NCAA's University of Nebraska-Omaha.
With approximately two months before the start of training camp, Aubrey will need to get acquainted with Skinner, Pickard, and the other young goalies in the Oilers' system. With not much known about the new goalie coach, the question is, how will he do that.
Kevin Wooley from In Goal Magazine and NHL.com, says that Peter Aubrey is genuinely a good person and a good father figure for younger goalies, has good emotional and empathy skills, and understands the mental side of the game.
Kevin Wooley further adds what some of the other areas that new goalie coach Peter Aubrey will likely look to change in Stuart Skinner.
"We talked about depth management. We talked about Dustin Wolf, at barely six feet tall, plays a more positional style than Skinner does at times. And listen, you can't have limitations laterally and play outside your post, east-west. You will get beat, which is why we saw [Skinner] work on that last year. But there is still room to improve. So, making sure you're on the same page...philosophical, technical and tactical elements"
How Peter Aubrey approaches his new position, however, is not likely something that will be made public, as most coaches are not apt to reveal their techniques to opposing teams. But we will get an opportunity to see how his work is coming along, once the pre-season games get under way in September.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 18 | 548 ANSWERS Oilers insider updates reports of more major coaching changes coming Do you believe Stuart Skinner can be the Oilers ' primary starting goalie? | ||
| yes | 214 | 39.1 % |
| no | 334 | 60.9 % |
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