Edmonton Oilers coach Paul Coffey
(Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire)

HIGHLIGHTS

  • The Oilers added Paul McFarland, Peter Aubry and Conor Allen to their coaching staff
  • Paul Coffey returns to special advisor role while goalie coach Dustin Schwartz wasn’t offered extension
  • Read below for details on Edmonton’s coaching shakeup after consecutive Cup Final losses

The Edmonton Oilers dropped the hammer on their coaching staff Monday. But don’t worry, Kris Knoblauch isn’t going anywhere.

After back-to-back losses to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers decided it was time for a shakeup behind the bench. They’re bringing in three new faces while making some big changes to familiar ones.

The Oilers announced they’ve added Paul McFarland as an assistant coach, Peter Aubry as goaltending coach, and Conor Allen as skills coach. The biggest surprise? Hall of Famer Paul Coffey is heading back upstairs to his advisory role.

The Official Announcement:

Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek had the scoop on McFarland first:

The team also confirmed they didn’t extend goaltending coach Dustin Schwartz’s contract following Stuart Skinner’s up-and-down playoff run.

Background on the Coaches

McFarland joins Edmonton after coaching the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen to a 45-17-3-3 record last season. He’s got NHL experience too, having worked as an assistant with the Panthers, Maple Leafs, and Kraken.

Aubry, meanwhile, brings eight years of experience from the Blackhawks organization, where he worked as a developmental goalie coach. He spent the last two seasons at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. The Windsor native will be tasked with getting Skinner back on track.

Coffey had been coaching the defense since Knoblauch took over midway through the 2023-24 season. The Hall of Famer returns to the front office role he held during Jay Woodcroft’s tenure.

Allen rounds out the new additions as skills coach. He’s coming from the U.S. National Under-17 Development Team and the Sioux City Musketeers. This will be his first NHL position.

Busy offseason for Oilers

The Oilers have been making plenty of moves this summer, with Evander Kane, Connor Brown, Viktor Arvidsson, and Jeff Skinner all departing the organization.

Edmonton signed former Calgary Flames forward Andrew Mangiapane and acquired reigning Hobey Baker winner Isaac Howard in a trade with Tampa Bay.
Now, the Oil are hoping fresh voices behind the bench can help them take the next step.

It’s hard to be too critical of the Oilers given their back-to-back Cup Final appearances. They impressively knocked off the LA Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars in the Western Conference before meeting Florida in the Final once again.

(Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire)

But when you’ve got Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in their primes, finishing second isn’t good enough. These moves show the Oilers aren’t content with being Cup Final bridesmaids. They want to win the whole thing.

The pressure’s on Knoblauch now. He survived the purge, but his new staff needs to deliver. McDavid and Leon aren’t going to be the best players in the league forever, and the Oilers organization clearly recognizes that.