It was announced Wednesday morning that the Edmonton Oilers are welcoming back the familiar face of Paul Coffey to their coaching staff.
This move takes effect after the team returns from Olympic break. The Hall of Fame defender was previously served as an assistant coach with the Oilers.
Coffey Time: Paul Coffey and Hockey Operations roles
The 64-year-old Coffey had a stint as GM and head coach of the OJHL’s Pickering Panthers in 2014–15, and was later appointed a skills coach by the Oilers in January of 2018.
Coffey served as the skills coach with the Edmonton Oilers for two seasons until 2019. In 2019, Coffey then gained international coaching experience as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the 2019–20 Spengler Cup.
The Oilers legend would eventually rejoin the team as a senior advisor to ownership and hockey operations from 2022 to 2023.
After the dismissal of Jay Woodcroft in the early portion of the 2023–24 season, Coffey was then promoted to assistant coach. He would oversee the Oilers’ defensive core until the conclusion of the 2024–25 campaign.
In the two seasons Coffey served in this role, the Oilers had a 2.78 goals against average.
What does this mean for the Oilers?
This appointment will provide more insight into the Oilers defensive struggles this season, while generally increasing the flexibility for the current Oilers’ coaching staff. This flexibility will be especially important as the Oilers look to make another deep playoff run, seeking their third straight finals appearance.
With only 24 games left in the Oilers’ regular season, this move will help fix some defensive concerns that both management and ownership have faced this season.
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