In a disheartening turn of events for the Maple Leafs, Team Canada’s dream of bringing home the Olympic gold was brutally cut short by cross-border rival, the United States. Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, who led the charge in Sidney Crosby’s absence in the final game, has little time to mourn with the NHL season resuming soon.
The Oilers are targeting a deep playoff run, and have introduced a significant change in their coaching situation to that end: one that may have ruffled some feathers in the organization.
Insider Believes Paul Coffey’s Return Not Unanimously Supported by the Edmonton Oilers
For a long time, the Oilers have received significant criticism for their goaltending, with many believing that contentious former goalie Stuart Skinner may have cost them the Stanley Cup. Appeals to move Skinner were relentless until the Oilers management finally heeded and struck a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins to acquire Tristan Jarry in return for Skinner.
Those who had hoped for the Oilers’ issues to be magically solved by a mere goalie swap were severely let down. At the end of the day, the group playing just in front of the goalie ought to play better as well: it was about time that Edmonton became cognizant of the fact that the defense corps needed help.
The Oilers, who have held on to the upper rungs of the standings despite a tumultuous season, decided to bring Paul Coffey back behind the bench to take charge of the team’s defense. However, according to David Pagnotta, not everyone in the organization was on board with the decision to call Coffey back.
“The change hasn’t been welcomed with open arms by a lot of people in the organization, I don’t think everyone’s overly thrilled about it, quite frankly, I don’t think Coff’s overly thrilled about [it],” Pagnotta stated, as shared by the NHL Rumour Report.Â
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Regardless of what may be going on internally, Coffey has previously expressed his excitement to join Kris Knoblauch and play a constructive role in paving the way for a deep playoff run for Edmonton.
“I’m excited to return and work alongside Kris and the entire staff. With 24 games left in the season, there is ample time to build on the many positives and build momentum for another long playoff run,” the Hall of Fame defenseman noted, sounding optimistic about the future.
The Oilers’ defense was once formidable under Coffey’s aegis. His return to the coaching corps could kickstart the revival of a seriously underwhelming element of Edmonton’s lineup.
