Desperate times call for desperate measures and with the Edmonton Oilers stuck in the middle of the NHL pack, unable to gain any traction, they are pulling out all the stops.
And, with that, they announced that Paul Coffey will be returning to the coaching staff to try and breathe some life into Edmonton’s struggling defence.
Edmonton’s number one priority is cutting down on the goals against. They rank 25th in goals against average (3.29), largely due to lukewarm goaltending and leaky team defence. They were 14th in that category last year (2.87) and 10th the year before (2.88), with Coffey in charge of the blue line — that average was fifth best in the NHL.
“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,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch.
It was almost universally panned when Coffey first joined the staff last year, but he proved his worth and made the Oilers a better team. He is prepared to try and do that all over again.
“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.”