There's a moment in every struggling team's season where something has to give — a trade, a lineup shakeup, a stern closed-door meeting.
For the Edmonton Oilers, that moment came in the form of a familiar name returning to the bench. Paul Coffey, one of the greatest offensive defencemen in NHL history and a two-time Stanley Cup champion with Edmonton, is back as an assistant coach, and honestly, it's hard to argue the timing could be any better.
The Oilers have been soft. There's really no more diplomatic way to put it. Their defence has been porous, their structure at the back end inconsistent, and the numbers reflect exactly what fans have been watching with growing frustration all season.
Edmonton is currently allowing 3.29 goals against per game; a figure that isn't the worst in the league, but is far from the standard a team with genuine Cup aspirations should be comfortable with. For context, when Coffey was previously part of the coaching staff, that number sat at a considerably more palatable 2.78.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch clearly knows it, too.
"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," Knoblauch said in announcing the move.
This wasn't a panic hire born of desperation in mid-February. This was a relationship that had been maintained, a door left deliberately open, and ultimately a decision made when the organization felt it was the right moment to walk back through it.
Coffey himself sounds energized by the opportunity.
"I'm excited to return and work alongside Kris and the entire staff," he 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."
Coffey's framing this as a continuation, a chance to build on what's already there rather than tear it down and start from scratch, which is probably the right tone to strike with a veteran group that doesn't need its confidence shaken further.
And there are positives to build on. The Oilers still have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl driving one of the most dangerous offences in the league, and the team's overall talent level isn't in question. The issue has always been about the defensive end: discipline, structure, and an unwillingness to sacrifice offensively for defensive responsibility.
These aren't new problems in Edmonton, but they've festered this season in a way that's made the team look genuinely vulnerable when opponents get into a rhythm against them.
Whether Coffey can fix that in 24 games is an open question, and anyone who claims to know the answer with certainty isn't being straight with you.
Coaching changes mid-season have a mixed track record across professional hockey. Sometimes a new voice cuts through and sparks an immediate cultural shift. Other times, the same habits resurface within a few weeks. What's different here is that Coffey isn't a stranger walking into a foreign environment — he knows this organization, he knows the culture, and if the chemistry with Knoblauch and the staff is as strong as the head coach suggests, there's a reasonable foundation to work from quickly.
What the Oilers need more than anything is accountability on the back end; defencemen who respect their defensive zone responsibilities, who don't gamble unnecessarily, and who understand that in a short playoff series, giving up 3.29 goals a night is essentially a death sentence.
Coffey played the game at an unmatched pace for decades and won at the highest level. If anyone can look a defenceman in the eye and explain exactly what's expected of them and why it matters, it's him.
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