Insider: Coffey’s Oilers Return Means Knoblauch’s Days Numbered

Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch

We brought you the news on Wednesday that the Edmonton Oilers have decided to address their glaring defensive troubles by bringing back assistant coach (and Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman) Paul Coffey to the bench.

He was an assistant on the Oilers' bench from 2023 through the end of last season, but left "under a cloud last summer," as noted by David Staples in The Edmonton Journal. His return, therefore, has some wondering just what this all means for head coach Kris Knoblauch's position.

Insider Nick Kypreos said on the Real Kyper & Bourne Show that he feels that Knoblauch is "not long for" the Oilers bench.

I don’t see a world where Knoblauch’s long for this job. Think about it... Your player (Leon Draisaitl) calls you out. And then maybe you’re told that you gotta go get Paul Coffey back on your bench. You got to turn this thing into a Stanley Cup winning season here, or I don’t see a world where Knoblauch’s back.

Coffey was back serving as a special advisor to Oilers ownership, but the team obviously feels that Knoblauch and the existing coaching staff weren't able to get this thing turned around without the legendary blueliner's immediate presence.

As Kypreos noted, Draisaitl put the entire club on blast, starting with the coaches, after another dreadful loss before the break.

As for why Coffey was brought back, Kyper's thoughts on that also don't paint a pretty picture for Knoblauch.

“I think it’s everything from a presence, maybe a more direct approach to how you talk to the players and what’s at stake and what’s on the line and what your expectations are... How you get more out of your lineup than just throwing three or four guys out there for 26, 28 minutes.”

"I think it's really, really strange," added Kypreos. "This whole thing. I don't ever recall ever seeing or hearing anything like this, where a guy just leaves with a lot of question marks, and then you go back and get the guy who left."

Even more bizarre is the fact that the Oilers tried to hide the announcement by slipping it out there right smack in the middle of the third period of Canada's overtime thriller against Czechia in the Olympic quarterfinals. Interesting, indeed.