The latest twist in the Edmonton Oilers‘ coaching search could involve another retired coach with a Stanley Cup pedigree.
Earlier this week, the Oilers were consulting the NHLPA before potentially hiring highly controversial bench boss Mike Babcock. However, a revived NHL investigation into Babcock’s conduct at his last job with the Columbus Blue Jackets may have killed that move before it ever truly began.
With Babcock now potentially in the rear-view mirror, the Oilers may need to go back to the drawing board, and one NHL insider, Frank Seravalli, believes they could consider a veteran name very familiar with hockey in Alberta: former two-time Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter.
“If not Bruce Cassidy, if not Mike Babcock, [Peter Laviolette’s] already gone, prepare yourself for the possibility of Darryl Sutter,” Seravalli said Wednesday. “You’re gonna have to get creative now if you’re the Oilers.”
Sutter, known for his demanding, old-school approach to coaching, has not been behind an NHL team’s bench since missing the playoffs with the Flames at the end of the 2022-23 campaign. Overall, in his career, the former Chicago Blackhawks forward has been the head coach of the Flames, Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, and Los Angeles Kings.
In 1,479 career games as a coach, Sutter has posted a 737-530-101-111 record (101 ties). He has coached and won the 10th-most games in NHL history, winning two Stanley Cup championships — both won with the Kings (2012 and 2014).
Sutter’s last stint with the Flames did not end well, as his prickly attitude quickly wore thin with the locker room. At one stage, the franchise even launched an internal investigation into an incident in which Sutter allegedly made physical contact with a player on the bench during a game. His relationship with general manager Brad Treliving also reportedly deteriorated to the point that Treliving decided to leave the organization rather than continue with Sutter.
Flames players eventually forced the club into action, with multiple members of the roster threatening to request trades if he was not replaced in the spring of 2023. “There’s a shelf life to that type of coach, and unfortunately for us, obviously, I felt his time expired with us,” team president Don Maloney said then.
The Oilers seem intent on bringing in an experienced coach after making Kris Knoblauch and Jay Woodcroft first-time NHL head coaches with their latest two hires. The club was reportedly interested in interviewing Bruce Cassidy, but their bitter Pacific Division rivals, the Vegas Golden Knights, don’t seem likely to budge on letting Cassidy out of his contract.
Edmonton will also have a new situation to deal with, as veteran defenseman Darnell Nurse also officially requested a trade on Thursday. Nurse has been an alternate captain for the Oilers since the 2019-20 season.
