We may now know who will be coaching Connor McDavid once he officially becomes the latest first-round selection of the Edmonton Oilers.
According to a report from Eliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, via Yahoo! Sports, the Oilers will name former San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan the franchise's latest bench boss "barring a major collapse."
Friedman, appearing on an episode of Toronto's Sportsnet 590, said that the Oilers and new president/GM Peter Chiarelli don't want to make an announcement yet because McLellan is busy coaching Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships in Prague.
McLellan and the Sharks decided to "part ways" earlier this offseason, despite his status as the winningest coach in San Jose's history.
In seven seasons at the helm of the Sharks, McLellan amassed a 311-155-63 mark and led the team to three Pacific Division titles, two Western Conference Finals appearances and six-straight playoff berths - a streak which ended this year.
Prior to his dismissal, he was the third-longest tenured coach in the NHL, behind only former mentor Mike Babcock in Detroit and Claude Julien in Boston.
The Oilers have been looking for a long-term answer behind the bench since Dallas Eakins was fired in December after Edmonton limped out to a 7-19-5 record.
GM Craig MacTavish took over for a short period before handing the reins to Todd Nelson for the remainder of the season.
Nelson was considered a candidate to take over full-time, but with Friedman's report, it now sounds like McLellan will be the man tasked with turning all the young talent in Edmonton into a well-oiled, fully functioning hockey machine.
