Who will be the new head coach of the Edmonton Oilers? J Woodcroft? Craig Berube? Bruce Cassidy? Jessica Campbell?
The Oilers did what everyone expected and fired head coach Chris Knoblauch. Additionally, he relieved Mark Stuart of his coaching duties. Oilers general manager Stan Bowman issued a statement on May 14, making the move official.
"After a thorough review of last season, we believe these changes are needed," Bowman wrote. “We are grateful for the contributions both Chris and Mark have made to our organization and we wish them all the best moving forward.”
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Bob Stauffer teases profile of Oilers' new head coach
Now that Knoblauch is out of the way, who will coach the Oilers? Oilers Now host (and team employee) Bob Stauffer offered fans a profile of who will be the Oilers' new head coach when they eventually announce it.
"I believe the Edmonton Oilers will target an experienced head coach," Stauffer wrote in a social media post. "With gravitas, who has a history of structure and process in his team's play... and has won before!"
It's not surprising that the Oilers management team is potentially leaning in this direction. But who fits the bill?
Craig Berube, Peter Laviolette and Cassidy all fit this profile. Here's a brief summary of the three best candidates who fit Stauffer's profile.
craig berube
career coaching record:707 GP, 365-252-90, .580 points percentage
Stanley Cup: 1
Teams trained: Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs.
Other: 10 years of head coaching experience.
Most recently, Berube served as the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, a terrible regular season that ended with them winning the draft lottery brought an end to his tenure.
peter laviolette
career coaching record: 1594 GP, 846-562-161, .589 points percentage
Stanley Cup: 1
Teams trained: New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals, New York Rangers.
Other: 23 years of head coaching experience.
Laviolette most recently coached the New York Rangers. However, his most recent success came when he coached the Predators to the Western Conference championship in the 2016–17 season. Also, he doesn't bring the same gravitas as Cassidy and Berube.
bruce cassidy
Career Coaching Record: 829 GP, 470-254-96, .630 points percentage
Stanley Cup: 1
Teams trained: Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, Vegas Golden Knights.
Other: Jack Adams Trophy winner (2019-20) and 12 years of head coaching experience.
Cassidy is considered the favorite for this post. He also fits the bill in terms of the system, the process and the championship pedigree.
With the head coaching position officially vacant, more should emerge about potential candidates who may be interested.
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