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The Edmonton Oilers have lost to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive seasons. That has led to a lot of change to the roster, with depth forwards Evander Kane and Viktor Arvidsson leaving this offseason. But the losses have now impacted the coaching staff. Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch is still there, but his coaching staff has changed dramatically.
“The Edmonton Oilers announced Monday they have added Paul McFarland, Peter Aubry, and Conor Allen to their coaching staff. Additionally, the team announced Paul Coffey will return to his role as a special advisor to ownership and hockey operations, while a contract extension was not offered to goaltending coach Dustin Schwartz,” a statement on the Oilers website read.
The Oilers fired Jay Woodcroft and hired Knoblauch after a dismal start to the 2023-24 season. He came over from the Hartford Wolfpack and led them to the Stanley Cup Final that season and brought them back this year. But things needed to change after their poor performance in the Cup Final this year. That means an entirely new coaching staff under Knoblauch in Edmonton.
Paul Coffey is the biggest name impacted by this move. The Hall of Famer was part of Knoblauch's staff from the beginning, coaching the defense. He will head back to the front office, where he was during the Woodcroft era. Goaltending coach Dustin Schwartz was let go after a brutal postseason from Stuart Skinner.
Paul MacFarland spent three seasons in the Panthers organization from 2017-19. He was most recently the coach of the Calgary Hitmen in the Western Hockey League. Conor Allen will be the skills coach in his first NHL position. But it is Peter Aubry who will be under the brightest light, as he will lead the goaltending room for the 2025-26 season. Can he help Skinner turn it around this year?
