4 NHL Coaches Who Could Convince Connor McDavid to Stay in Edmonton

This just in: Connor McDavid may not be an Edmonton Oiler for life.

The two-year contract extension signed last fall by the former No. 1 overall draft pick and consensus all-universe forward kicks in this summer and officially sets the clock ticking toward what could be an uncomfortable exit.

It doesn't help that the team has declined significantly from consecutive near-misses in 2024 and 2025, plummeting to a first-round elimination by the upstart Anaheim Ducks last month across six intermittently competitive games.

The quick hook led to the firing of coach Kris Knoblauch and put the burden on GM Stan Bowman to both retool the roster and hire a new leader who can convince McDavid there's reason to extend his stay in Alberta past 2028.

B/R's hockey team joined the chatter with a list of coaches perhaps capable of the latter task, based on experience, results and other factors. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the app comments.

Bruce Cassidy

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Connor McDavid with Bruce Cassidy after Vegas beat Edmonton in the 2023 playoffs.

We'll start out with the obvious choice, at least to nearly everyone outside Golden Knights HQ.

Now 61 years old, Bruce Cassidy has already spent parts of 12 seasons behind an NHL bench and has a Stanley Cup ring to show for it after guiding the Golden Knights to the promised land in 2023.

He was axed with eight games remaining on the 2025-26 schedule but remains under contract for one more season, meaning the organization would have to grant permission for the Oilers to begin the hiring process in Alberta.

It has not happened yet and might not, given the teams' shared space in the Pacific Division, but if there is a coach out there who is more familiar with Edmonton's personnel and has 10 playoff appearances in 10 full NHL seasons, we have not seen him.

Peter Laviolette

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Peter Laviolette drinks from the Stanley Cup after winning in 2006

If established and available are the prerequisites, Laviolette has them.

The 61-year-old had a nondescript playing career but took to coaching immediately, hoisting the Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in just his fourth season behind an NHL bench in 2006.

He was bounced from Raleigh after missing the next two playoffs, but has been to two more title rounds and another conference final across four subsequent coaching stops, most recently lasting two seasons with the Rangers in New York.

The word around the rink is that his demanding style wears thin on players after a few years, which could explain why he's never completed more than five seasons in any one place. But if the Oilers are seeking structure and swagger, he's got it.

Jeff Halpern

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Jeff Halpern (right) chats with Jon Cooper during the 2022 playoffs

If you can't get the boss, go for the top lieutenant.

That's the would-be story when it comes to the Oilers and Tampa Bay assistant Jeff Halpern, 50, who's been a right-hand man to head coach Jon Cooper since elevating from the AHL's Syracuse Crunch in 2018.

There's been wishful chatter in Edmonton that Cooper might be available after four straight first-round exits, and McDavid's praise for the two-time Cup winner after a loss to the Lightning in March certainly didn't help Knoblauch's job security.

Cooper coached McDavid with Team Canada at both the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025 and the Winter Olympics earlier this year.

GM Julien BriseBois doused the Cooper fantasy by saying the coach was "going to be (in Tampa) for a while," but making a play for Halpern might yield the system and organization McDavid covets without the prospect of a high-profile divorce.

David Carle

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OK, you've got your Cup-winning veterans and your next-in-line assistant.

But if Bowman is in an outside-the-box mood, David Carle is the man to call.

At 36, only a few years older than McDavid, Carle has never coached a professional game but is already a towering figure in the college ranks after leading the University of Denver to three NCAA titles in the last five seasons.

His frenetic style relies on aggressive forechecking, puck possession and high shot volume, which the Denver Pioneers parlayed to a 29-11-3 record while averaging 4.3 more shots (33.3 to 29) and 1.5 more goals (3.6 to 2.1) than their opponents in 2025-26.

Carle signed a multi-year extension last year and could presumably stay in Denver as long as he'd like given his accomplishments, but a talent like McDavid and a still-open Cup window would be a tantalizing itch to leave unscratched.

"If there's a life-changing opportunity, then I'd have to listen to that," Carle said in 2025. "And if it's accompanied with the opportunity to win, then that becomes more enticing."