Paul Coffey is Doing Wonders for Oilers' Defence

Since being drafted sixth overall in 1980 by the Edmonton Oilers, Paul Coffey has made an imprint on the team's blue line, both on the ice and now behind the bench. 

During his playing days, Coffey was Bobby Orr reincarnated. The three-time Norris Trophy winner's skating ability and offensive mastery were huge components as he finished second in all-time regular-season defenceman scoring with 1,531 points, highlighted by a couple north of 125-point seasons, per NHL.com. 

What's equally as impressive is that his regular-season point production always translated to the playoffs. His 196 points in the playoffs are the most of any defenceman in NHL history. That's what happens when you have an elite offensive mind like Coffey play behind Oiler greats. 

Coffey's playing days are long gone, but his offensive mind isn't, and it's helping the current blueline of the same team that drafted him 44 years ago make their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearance. 

Going Behind The Bench He Once Owned

In 2022, the Oilers hired Coffey to serve as their Special Advisor to Ownership, which didn't last long, as he's now serving as an assistant coach. To no surprise, he's been the mastermind behind one of the best offensive defence corps' in the NHL since going behind the bench in November of 2023. 

Since then, Coffey's message to Edmonton blueliners has been clear:

 "You can't put a pass on a player's stick as an NHL player? You shouldn't be in this league. From Day 1, that was about a confidence thing," Coffey said to The Athletic about his defencemen generating breakouts with the puck on their stick, instead of chipping it off the glass.

That approach from Coffey is undergoing its litmus test right now as they are facing a fierce Florida Panthers forecheck in the Finals, and so far they have done a good job of neutralizing it. It's no surprise that a defenceman like Coffey, who made breakout passes for a living during his 21 year-career, expects the same from the defencemen he's coaching today, ones that have benefited greatly from his coaching style.

 "Yeah, it's been great. Definitely a different voice than I've ever been coached by," said Oilers defenceman Jake Walman to The Athletic since being traded to Edmonton at this year's trade deadline. "Does it in a different way. But it's a lot easier. You know what to expect. Gets his point across. He wants us to hold onto the puck. I feel like I've been able to develop some little parts of my game with him. It's been great and I think it's going to be great for my career going forward." 

Walman isn't the only Oiler defenceman that's benefited from Coffey's approach. Since he became the Oilers' defence coach, Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Brett Kulak and Walman have all had career highs in 5-on-5 expected goal numbers across any of their regular season and playoffs in at least one or both of the years since Coffey took over as assistant coach, per MoneyPuck.com.

Another player that’s seen their game take shape under Coffey is John Klingberg, who signed a one-year deal with Edmonton in January after undergoing surgery in both hips, and even though he’s seen better numbers in his career, Coffey and the Oilers have still gotten production out of him. 

Coffey's mentorship to this Oiler blueline has been evident since stepping behind the bench, with the latest example coming from Game 4 of the finals on Thursday. 

After surrendering three unanswered Panther goals in the first period, the Oilers looked like they were going to head back to Edmonton down 3-1 in the series, and without the help of their blueline, they would be. 

Oilers defencemen scored two of Edmonton's five goals thanks to Nurse and Walman, with Walman's being one of the game's most important, as it was the t' fourth unanswered goal to complete the comeback. Both Nurse's and Walman's goals weren't your typical shot from the point, goalie-was-screened type of goal; they were goals from defencemen who possessed the "confidence" that Coffey has preached.