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Why the next Oilers head coach will find instant success

10 0
19.05.2026

The next head coach of the Edmonton Oilers will have early-season success regardless of who it is.

The next Oilers head coach will be set up for success for four simple reasons.

He will have a good roster led by Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard. The Oilers will have some question marks on their roster, like any team, when the season begins, but not many new coaches inherit a team with as much offensive skill as the Oilers. The Oilers have some areas they need to improve and be more consistent in, but their overall skill level is better than that of most teams.The players will be fresh. As of today, no player on the roster requires off-season surgery. The complete roster will be able to have a good summer of training, and unless someone suffers an off-season injury or gets injured at the World Championships (Evan Bouchard, Darnell Nurse, Mattias Ekholm, Josh Samanski, and Isaac Howard are playing), they will return in September healthy and refreshed for the first time in three seasons.Draisaitl and McDavid said in their end-of-season press conferences that they and the team might have underestimated the importance of the regular season. They will be focused on having a good start and won’t feel their way into the season.And like most teams, they will want to make a good first impression on their new coach.

Look how this team has responded to a new coach the past seven seasons.

Dave Tippett was hired on May 28, 2019. In October, the Oilers started 7-1 and were 12-6-2 in their first 20 games under Tippett. They finished the season with the ninth-most points in the NHL.

Jay Woodcroft was hired Feb. 10, 2022, after the Oilers started 23-18-3 under Tippett. Edmonton went 5-0 in Woodcroft’s first five games and 26-9-3 in the final 38 games, which was the second-best record in the NHL over that span.

Kris Knoblauch was named head coach on Nov. 12, 2023. The Oilers were 3-9-1 when Woodcroft got fired, but then went 10-3 in Knoblauch’s first 13 games and had the NHL’s best record at 46-18-5 with Knoblauch on the bench.

The Oilers’ recent history shows a team that plays better with a new coach. I’d argue the players’ renewed focus and attention to detail are what lead them to wins, not........

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