Todd McLellan will be the new head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, sources tell Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. A formal announcement from the organization is expected sometime this week, possibly as early as Tuesday.
It’s been a nice run of late for the beleaguered franchise who recently added former Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli, not to mention winning the right to choose Connor McDavid with the first overall selection of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
McLellan, 47, spent the past seven seasons as the head coach of the San Jose Sharks, but was unable to help a good team claim their first Stanley Cup.
A former Mike Babcock assistant coach in Detroit, the Melville, Sask., native has a coaching record of 311-163-66 with the Sharks, including three division titles and a Presidents’ Trophy in 2008-09.
STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS: | Broadcast Schedule
Rogers GameCentre LIVE | Stanley Cup Playoffs Fantasy Hockey
New Sportsnet app: iTunes | Google Play
Most recently, McLellan manned the bench of Team Canada at the 2015 IIHF World Championship, leading the team to its first gold medal since 2007.
The Oilers have not had a full time head coach since firing Dallas Eakins back in Dec. 2014, with Todd Nelson helping the club to a 17-25-9 record to end the season as the team’s interim coach.
Download Sportsnet magazine now: iOS | Android | Windows
