9 outside-the-box head coach candidates for the Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers coaching search is in full swing.
When the puck drops on training camp in September, a new head coach will be leading the way for the Oilers. We already have an idea of what kind of coach Edmonton is searching for to replace Kris Knoblauch.
Reports last week hinted at the team looking for a more veteran option with a championship pedigree who can get more out of their players. Bruce Cassidy seems to be the Oilers’ top choice, while Craig Berube is expected to get an interview. Peter Laviolette is another obvious option that fits the mould, but what if none of those work out?
Could the Oilers go a different direction and pick somebody completely off the board to be their next bench boss? If they don’t like what they hear from those three, it’s certainly possible, but they’d have to think outside the box to find other candidates.
Who could possibly be on that list? Let’s take a deeper dive into the possible candidates…
1. Bruce Boudreau
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Age: 71
Last coaching job: Vancouver Canucks head coach (2021-2023)
If the Oilers want a head coach who isn’t afraid to tell it how it is, Bruce Boudreau could be the guy.
He hasn’t coached since being fired by the Canucks back in 2023, so there is some doubt as to whether Boudreau would be open to an NHL return. If there is, he would be one of the more eccentric candidates who could be interviewed for the job.
2. Misha Donskov
Age: 49
Previous role: Hockey Canada head coach (current)
A name that has crept up in fan discussion is Miska Donskov.
Donskov has never been an NHL head coach, but has served as an assistant with both the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights. He is currently with Hockey Canada, where he is serving as the head coach for the Canadian men’s national team.
The Quebec native is widely seen as one of the up-and-coming coaches around the league.
3. Todd Nelson
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Age: 57
Last coaching job: Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach (current)
Todd Nelson has had one stint as an NHL head coach, and it came with the Oilers.
The Prince Albert native served as Edmonton’s interim head coach during the 2014-15 season before being replaced by Todd McLellan. Nelson would go on to win three AHL championships since then and was promoted to the Penguins’ NHL staff last season.
Could he make a return to the Alberta capital?
4. Patrick Roy
Brad Penner/Imagn Images
Age: 60
Last coaching job: New York Islanders head coach (2024-2026)
Could one of the NHL’s greatest goalies of all time be an option for the Oilers?
This might not be what everyone means by Edmonton adding a goalie, but he does provide a fiery personality and has a championship pedigree. He’s still searching for that first ring as an NHL head coach, and where better to try for that than in Edmonton?
5. Colin Chaulk
@Condors/X
Age: 49
Last coaching job: Bakersfield Condors AHL head coach (current)
If the Oilers weren’t in such a unique, pressure-packed situation, Colin Chaulk may have been the obvious choice.
It’s tradition around the league these days that an organization’s AHL head coach will get a legitimate shot at the NHL job once a vacancy appears. Chaulk has been in charge of the Condors since 2022, knows the organization inside-out, and has had success with the team’s younger players.
6. Dallas Eakins
Matt Kartozian/Imagn Images
Age: 59
Last coaching job: Anaheim Ducks head coach (2019-2023)
Dallas Eakins may have had the most disastrous Oilers coaching tenure in franchise history.
The 59-year-old served as the Oilers’ bench boss for a couple of disastrous seasons between 2013 and 2014 before being fired. He then went on to be the Ducks coach for another rather forgettable stint.
He doesn’t feel like a likely candidate, but a lot has changed since his first tenure with the Oilers.
7. Jay Woodcroft
Darren Yamashita/Imagn Images
Age: 49
Last coaching job: Anaheim Ducks assistant coach (current)
Why not make it a trifecta of former Edmonton coaches on this list?
Jay Woodcroft had excellent results during his time as the Oilers bench boss and was only undone by a bad start to the 2023-24 season. He jumped back into the NHL as an assistant coach with the Ducks and helped eliminate his old team in the first round of the playoffs.
There is an expectation that Woodcroft could secure another NHL head coaching gig this summer. Would he and the Oilers be open to a reunion?
8. Claude Julien
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Age: 66
Last coaching job: St. Louis Blues assistant coach (current)
It’s a bit surprising that Claude Julien hasn’t had a head coaching job over the past five seasons.
The 66-year-old used to be considered one of the best coaches in the league, having won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011 and nearly getting the Montreal Canadiens there in 2020.
Julien has that championship pedigree and oodles of NHL experience that the Oilers are reportedly interested in.
9. Barry Trotz
Age: 63
Last coaching job: Islanders head coach (2018-2022)
Barry Trotz has stepped into the managerial world lately, serving as GM of the Nashville Predators for the past three seasons, but that will be coming to an end soon.
Trotz will be resigning from the GM chair this summer, and while some may expect him to retire, could he possibly return as a head coach? He used to be considered among the league’s very best, having won the Jack Adams Award in 2016 and 2019.
He helped Alex Ovechkin win a Stanley Cup later in his career. Could he do the same for McDavid?