Caleb Kerney
Who will be the Edmonton Oilers new head coach? Jay Woodcroft? Craig Berube? Bruce Cassidy? Jessica Campbell?
The Oilers did what everyone expected and fired head coach Kris Knoblauch. Additionally, they relieved Mark Stuart of his coaching duties. Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman released a statement earlier on May 14th, making the move official.
“Following a thorough review of this past season, we believe these changes are needed,” Bowman wrote. “We are grateful for the contributions both Kris and Mark have made to our organization, and we wish them 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 one.
“My belief is that the Edmonton Oilers will target an Experienced Head Coach,” Stauffer wrote in a social media post. “With Gravitas, who has had a history of having structure and process in his team’s game…and has won before!”
It’s not surprising that this could potentially be the direction that the Oilers management team is leaning. But who fits the bill?
Craig Berube, Peter Laviolette, and Cassidy all fit the bill for this profile. Here is a brief summary of the three best candidates that fit Stauffer’s profile.
Craig Berube
Career Coaching Record: 707 GP, 365-252-90, .580 Points Percentage
Stanley Cups: 1
Teams Coached: Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs.
Other: 10 years of head coaching experience.
Most recently, Berube served as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, a terrible regular season that ended with them winning the draft lottery spelled the end of his tenure there.
Peter Laviolette
Career Coaching Record: 1594 GP, 846-562-161, .589 Points Percentage
Stanley Cups: 1
Teams Coached: 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 a Western Conference Championship in the 2016-17 season. Also, he does not bring the same gravitas as Cassidy and Berube.
Bruce Cassidy
Career Coaching Record: 829 GP, 470-254-96, .630 Points Percentage
Stanley Cups: 1
Teams Coached: Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, Vegas Golden Knights.
Other: Jack Adams Trophy Winner (2019-20) & 12 years of head coaching experience.
Cassidy is the assumed favorite to land the position. He also fits the bill in terms of systems, process, and championship pedigree.
With the head coaching position officially vacant, there should be more chatter surfacing about potential candidates who are interested.
Tick-tock.
