Oilers announce coaching change, Paul Coffey speaks on his return to the bench

Paul Coffey is coming back to help coach the Oilers’ defence.

There were strong hints that the Edmonton Oilers might change their coaching staff after the Olympics because their season has not been going well, especially on defence. The team had great success in the last two years with the help of Oilers legend Paul Coffey, and now he’s back to finish what he started.

Paul Coffey is back to lead the Oilers’ defence after the Olympic break. The team announced this decision this morning while Team Canada was playing against Czechia.

Coffey shared a statement for the Oilers in a news release, saying he’s really looking forward to coaching for the rest of the season and helping the defence get better.

After finishing as runners-up in the Cup Final for the past two years, three-time champion Coffey feels there’s still work to be done and thinks he can help the team finally win.

I’m really happy to come back and work with Kris and the whole coaching staff. With 24 games left in the season, we have plenty of time to build on the good things we’ve done and create some excitement for another long playoff run.

– Paul Coffey

There have been several reports suggesting that there was some tension between Knoblauch and Coffey as rumors about his return to coaching grew stronger. NHL experts noted that Coffey and Knoblauch didn’t always agree during the past two years.

However, it seems that they have worked things out and are ready to team up to achieve the results they had last year. Coach Knoblauch also shared his belief that Coffey can help get the defence back on track.

I’ve kept in touch with Paul since last summer, and I think his return will be good for both our team and coaching staff at this time.

– Kris Knoblauch

With Coffey taking over the defence duties, it’s not clear what position Mark Stuart, who currently coaches the defence and penalty kill, will have. Maybe Coffey will act as an assistant coach, but no matter what, he will definitely be a strong and important voice in the Oilers’ locker room. He is one of the few people with experience winning in Edmonton with a team full of superstars.

Since the start of the year, the Oilers are in 25th place for goals allowed and 26th for stopping penalties in the NHL. Coffey has a big job ahead of him to help the team become more competitive for the playoffs.

Now that the Oilers have their top coaching team back together, we will soon find out after the Olympic break if Coffey can improve the defense and lead them back to the Cup Final.