Edmonton Oilers
Paul Coffey Officially Rejoins Oilers Coaching Staff
Former assistant coach Paul Coffey re-joins the Edmonton Oilers’ coaching staff. Read about his impactful return.
The Edmonton Oilers announced Wednesday that former assistant coach Paul Coffey will return to the team’s coaching staff. The move comes after weeks of speculation and reports about a shift in coaching philosophy as the Oilers entered the Olympic break struggling.
The Oilers announced on their official site: “The Hall of Fame defenceman will step back behind the bench after resuming his role as a Special Advisor to Ownership and Hockey Operations in July following a two-year stint leading the Oilers defence corps.”
He was first put behind the bench as a coach on November 13, 2023 and stayed through the end of the 2024-25 regular season. He did so as a favor to Darryl Katz, but never really wanted the gig. But, under his guidance, particularly with the defense, the Oilers allowed 2.78 goals per game, which was the fifth-best mark in the NHL over that span.
Back in November, Elliotte Friedman reported that the whispers of Coffey returning began. In a 32 Thoughts column, he wrote, “There were rumours last week that Edmonton was considering bringing back Paul Coffey, but that was denied to me.” Things had obviously changed based on the way the Oilers played to begin the 2026 calendar year.
“I have been in regular contact with Paul since last summer and I believe we will benefit both as a team and as a staff from his return at this time,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. Knoblauch recently signed a new contract, so he isn’t going anywhere.
“I’m excited to return and work alongside Kris and the entire staff,” Coffey said. “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.” This runs a bit counter to earlier reports that Coffey and Knoblauch weren’t always on the same page. Frank Seravalli reported, “I think that’s one of the things that hasn’t been talked about enough, the coaching staff changes that occurred in Edmonton…” Interestingly, he also added, “I think he had butted heads at various points in time with some other members of the coaching staff, because of the hard edge that he has.”
Whether that’s true isn’t known, but the Oilers are willing to risk some friction to wake up the team.
Coffey is expected back with the club this Friday as they continue their preparation to return to action next week in California following the Olympic break.
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