Insider reveals Oilers’ devastating offseason move bigger than any trade

As the Edmonton Oilers struggle so far in the 2025-26 season, one quiet but potentially huge change from the offseason is getting renewed attention: Paul Coffey is no longer behind the bench.

This summer, the Oilers revamped their coaching staff, adding assistant coach Paul McFarland, goalie coach Peter Aubry, and skills coach Conor Allen. Coffey, once an assistant coach, transitioned to a special advisory role to ownership and hockey operations. Not much was made of this but now, some insiders wonder if the Oilers may have lost more than just a seat on the bench.

Frank Seravelli believes Coffey’s absence is a much bigger issue than most realize.

“I think he had butted heads at various points in time with some other members of the coaching staff, because of the hard edge that he has. But it’s also part of what made the Oilers’ defense a lot more formidable. He kept everyone on their toes,” Seravelli said.

He continued: “I think it’s been way too laissez faire for the Oilers so far to start this season.”

Under Coffey’s watch, Edmonton’s defensive corps had a sharper edge. The results were clear.

“Not a perfect situation with Coffey, I think, but you can’t argue with the results. The Oilers defended much, much better previously under his control,” Seravelli added.

He also suggested that when the offseason coaching changes were announced in July, they were likely bigger than any single player move, yet their impact hasn’t been fully discussed.

As Edmonton navigates another inconsistent start, the conversation around Coffey’s absence may be overdue. Sometimes, the most important moves aren’t about acquiring talent, but about losing someone that made the team better, and for the Oilers, that someone is Coffey and what he made better was the defense.

He is sorely missed this season in Edmonton.