EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oilers want better goaltending this season, so they made the change they think will help.
“There were times where [our goalies] were exceptional and there were other times where we were wanting a little bit more from them,” coach Kris Knoblauch said.
Knoblauch was speaking during a press conference to discuss the changes to his staff, including the hiring of Peter Aubry to replace Dustin Schwartz, who did not have his contract renewed after 11 seasons as goaltending coach with the Oilers.
Aubry was hired on Friday along with assistant Paul McFarland and skills coach Conor Allen. Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey, who had been an assistant the past two seasons, will return to his role as a special adviser to ownership and hockey operations. Glen Gulutzan, who had been an assistant for the Oilers the past seven seasons, was hired as coach of the Dallas Stars on July 1.
Knoblauch is hoping Aubry will get more out of goalies Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, who helped the Oilers advance to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the past two seasons, losing to the Florida Panthers on both occasions.
“It was a very difficult decision to make that change, but in the organization we’re always looking at ways where we can get better, whether that’s better on the power play, our 5-on-5 play, or our defensive group, whatever,” Knoblauch said. “We were looking for ways to push our goaltenders and make them better.”
Aubry spent the past two seasons as an associate coach with the University of Nebraska Omaha. The hiring marks his return to the NHL after he previously worked with the Chicago Blackhawks as their developmental goaltending coach, as well as the goaltending coach for their American Hockey League affiliate in Rockford, for eight seasons from 2015-16 to 2022-23.
Last season, Skinner was 26-18-4 with a 2.81 goals-against average, .896 save percentage and three shutouts in 51 regular-season games (50 starts). He then went 7-7 with a 2.99 GAA, .889 save percentage and three shutouts in 15 playoff starts, but he was pulled three times during the postseason, including in Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Pickard was 22-10-1 with a 2.71 GAA and .900 save percentage in 36 regular-season games (31 starts). He was 7-1 with a 2.85 GAA and .886 save percentage in 10 playoff games (seven starts).
“I just think with Peter he’ll be able to push those guys and bring a different perspective,” Knoblauch said. “Hopefully he’ll get those guys to play at their best more often.”
The contracts of all the Oilers' previous assistants had expired at the end of the season, so changes in the staff were expected.
Along with the additions, though, assistant Mark Stuart signed a new contract and will take charge of the defensemen for Coffey. Video coach Noah Segall will also return.
“We weren’t sure on how many coaching changes we were going to have to make, and obviously the hiring of Glen Gulutzan going to Dallas changed that a little bit,” Knoblauch said. “We wanted to wait until the process was done so we knew exactly what we were going to need and fill out our coaching staff.”
Knoblauch, who is entering the final season of his three-year contract, was also awaiting word from Coffey on whether he would return behind the bench for his third season. Coffey had been named an assistant when Knoblauch was hired to replace Jay Woodcroft on Nov. 12, 2023.
“I feel we’ll still have conversations with Paul and Paul will still give us his insight on how the team is playing and what we should be doing, which will be a great benefit for our coaching staff, especially with so many new guys coming in,” Knoblauch said. “Now with Paul stepping away, that traditional defensive coach, Mark Stuart is going to slide into that position.”
For his part, McFarland spent last season as coach of the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League. He previously worked in the NHL as an assistant with the Seattle Kraken (2021-24), Toronto Maple Leafs (2019-20) and Panthers (2017-19).
Allen, meanwhile, worked with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-17 Team last season.
“I think everybody brings a little bit of different elements,” Knoblauch said. “You don’t want all the same [type] of guys, you need so much energy and analytical thinkers or whatever it is. We were able to sit back for a little while, and then after Glen was hired we moved on with that process in interviewing for all those spots.”
The coaching hires will be just one part of a new look for the Oilers this season. Edmonton also made a number of roster changes after losing in six games to the Panthers in the Cup Final.
Among the new faces, Edmonton signed free agent forwards Andrew Mangiapane and Curtis Lazar, and acquired forward Isaac Howard, who won the 2025 Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the top men's player in NCAA ice hockey, in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Oilers are hoping Howard, 21, and fellow forward prospect Matt Savoie, 21, can make the jump to the NHL this season in order to fill the void left by Evander Kane, who was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, as well as Connor Brown (New Jersey Devils), Corey Perry (Los Angeles Kings) and Jeff Skinner (San Jose Sharks), who departed as free agents.
Knoblauch said he and his coaching staff will have to have patience with Howard and Savoie, who will be attempting to make the transition from the NCAA and AHL, respectively.
“We would love to be able to have Howard and Savoie play in the top six and have an impact with an understanding there are going to be some mistakes and we just keep moving forward, and hopefully that is the case,” Knoblauch said. “From the organization's standpoint, we have a lot of belief in these guys. To get Howard, we have to believe Howard can help us and be an impact player sooner rather than later. For them to do that we have to give them those opportunities.”
