Ken Hitchcock Replaces Todd McLellan as Oilers Head Coach

The Edmonton Oilers announced Tuesday that they fired head coach Todd McLellan and replaced him with Ken Hitchcock.

Edmonton is off to a disappointing 9-10-1 start this season, and it is three points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference's Pacific Division.

The Oilers also went just 36-40-6 last season and missed the playoffs after reaching the postseason with a 47-26-9 mark in 2016-17.

The 66-year-old Hitchcock retired in April after coaching the Dallas Stars to a 42-32-8 mark last season.

Hitchcock initially announced his intention to retire at the conclusion of the 2016-17 season, but he was fired by the St. Louis Blues during the campaign, which led to his decision to spend one season in Dallas.

He has 22 years of NHL head coaching experience with the Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Blues.

Hitchcock has reached the playoffs as a head coach on 14 occasions, and he led the Stars to the Stanley Cup Final in both 1999 and 2000, guiding Dallas to its first and only Stanley Cup win in franchise history in 1999.

Additionally, Hitchcock ranks third on the NHL's all-time wins list for head coaches, with 823. He trails only Scotty Bowman (1,244) and Joel Quenneville (890), who was fired by the Chicago Blackhawks earlier in November.

The 51-year-old McLellan spent parts of four seasons as Edmonton's head coach, posting a 123-119-24 record with just one playoff appearance.

Prior to joining the Oilers, McLellan was the San Jose Sharks' head coach for seven seasons, during which time he went 311-163-66 and reached the playoffs six times.

Despite the Oilers' struggles, Hitchcock walks into an enviable position since Edmonton boasts arguably the NHL's best player in Connor McDavid.

The 21-year-old phenom was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft, and he already has two Art Ross Trophies as the NHL's leading point scorer and one Hart Memorial Trophy as NHL MVP to his credit.

This season, McDavid has racked up 12 points and 16 assists for 28 points in 20 games, ranking him third in the league in points.

The Oilers sorely lack secondary scoring beyond McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but if Hitchcock can pull the right strings and put together some quality combinations beyond the first line, the Oilers are a dangerous team capable of making a playoff run.