If you’re an Edmonton Oilers fan, these are trying times. The club lost a first-round series against the Anaheim Ducks, a far cry from reaching the Stanley Cup Final as it had the previous two years. Coach Kris Knoblauch was fired, and the top coaching target, Bruce Cassidy, was unavailable for an interview due to unprecedented behaviour by the Oilers’ division rival, the Vegas Golden Knights. Cassidy remains shut out from applying for NHL employment.

This week, Mike Babcock was identified as management’s coach of choice, and that brought a brand new hornet’s nest for fans. As of this writing, two weeks before draft day, the organization has no head coach and therefore no clear direction on trades, free agency or what the fall roster should look like.

There are promising storylines in the collective Oilers summer word bubble. Here’s what an ideal offseason, delayed as it may be, would look like.

The new coach

The pursuit of the next head coach went a little galaxy-brain after the news that Cassidy wasn’t available. The logical second choice, Peter Laviolette, is now with the Los Angeles Kings, and the Babcock option is being held up by a league investigation. As a soap opera, the Oilers’ spring is action-packed. As a series of moves designed to solve the coaching issue, it’s a frustrating experience for all involved.

Assuming the Oilers don’t land Babcock, the best options may be former Edmonton head coaches. But if the franchise has a no-return policy, icing out Jay Woodcroft, Todd Nelson and Craig MacTavish, the options are retreads and the unproven.

Although it would be an unusual choice, MacTavish’s track record is a perfect match for these Oilers. The five-on-five play, uncovering useful role players, the ability to line match and relay changes to the players in a short period are all things MacTavish was able to do in Edmonton. I wrote about his coaching exploits in 2019, suggesting Ken Holland hire someone just like him. Now, seven years later, I’m suggesting Stan Bowman hire him. MacT’s ability to communicate and his intelligent verbal should not be confused for a soft approach. He was a hard ass when needed, and he could be again. Just don’t let him near the power play, or Toby Petersen or Mike York with a broken hand might show up on a five-on-three advantage.

Woodcroft’s resume is equally strong. He coached the Oilers’ most impressive offensive season (325 goals in 2022-23) since 1988-89, the glory days in Edmonton. The organization wants a proven winner, but Stanley Cup championships aren’t the only way to measure success. Woodcroft was a coach for the Ducks this season and helped author the first-round victory over the Oilers.

The new approach

The Oilers will trade veteran defenceman Darnell Nurse this summer, after Nurse requested a trade on Thursday. Early rumours have the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks as favourites to land the veteran.

Nurse is a fine top-four defenceman with an enormous cap hit ($9.25 million cap hit). It will be easier to make a deal with the increased cap ceiling ($104 million) for next year. The ideal trade for Bowman would offload the entire contract, giving Edmonton the room to wheel with all that extra money. The Sharks have Logan Couture ($8 million cap hit) on the books, and a trade between the two teams would allow the Oilers to acquire another player and place Couture on LTIR. Fans might prefer an active player, but cap room is massive in July and August.

Holland is now the general manager in Los Angeles and signed Nurse to the mega-deal he is on currently. If Bowman could deal Nurse for big centre Quinton Byfield ($6.25 million cap hit), it would be the kind of trade Edmonton needs to make. Taking a chance on a struggling young player with elite potential should be the goal this summer. Byfield is exactly that kind of player. The 1980s Oilers were partially built on taking chances; sometimes, high-end skill players needed a second opinion.

The new procurement

Bowman has eased the roster burden that came with older veterans aging out of their prime, but there’s more work to do. If Bowman can acquire mid-20s solutions like Jordan Kyrou as opposed to older, Jeff Skinner types this summer, the roster will have more sustainability moving forward.

The Oilers currently have a real problem with the age 20-24 group. That five-year block in 2025-26 was populated by just two regulars (Vasily Podkolzin and Matt Savoie) along with the team’s top prospect (Ike Howard). More good players are needed in this age group.

The 25-29 group is generally viewed as the heart of a team. Players in this group are in their primes, or just past it. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard lead the way in this age group, but Draisaitl is now 30 and aging out of his prime. Elite players have a long, slow coda of erosion, but Bowman needs to acquire players under 30 this summer who can play in key roles.

Last year, 36 percent of the games played by the Oilers were populated by age 30-plus skaters and goalies. That number needs to regress next season. Dealing Nurse for a younger roster player like Byfield would fit the recent work by Bowman.

The new template

No matter the coach or new players, the Oilers have to improve in vital areas. For at least a decade, the team has lagged behind other contenders in figuring out the roster in training camp. This leads to slow starts, and in some cases (Woodcroft), head coaches getting fired.

The team should also ice a complete 23-man roster and rest veterans throughout the season. Edmonton’s playoff collapse in the spring came partly due to injury, and partly due to the fact that the club had to push at the end to ensure a good playoff seeding. Frankly, the team was exhausted. In the past, the Oilers had cap issues that were eased by running short a couple of players. If the new coach has the opportunity to rest veterans on a regular basis, this edition of the Oilers should be well rested by the spring of 2027.

Bottom line

Oilers fans can’t be blamed for feeling the team stalled at the starting line for this offseason. The Nurse news on Thursday was a welcome piece of information, and hopefully leads to substantial roster additions in the near future.

All the chaos this spring obscures the many good things about this Oilers roster. Edmonton made the Stanley Cup Final two years in a row, and the team’s best players will return in the fall. An offseason that sees a strong five-on-five coach and increased youth marbled through the roster will bring hope to a fanbase badly in need of something positive.

The first steps will be getting a new coach and an optimal trade return for Nurse. In a real way, the offseason is finally underway.