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Oilers are set to name Ralph Krueger as head coach

Ralph Krueger

The Oilers have always been a team that works by their own beat and never adhering to what’s expected of them. You can say the same of them when it comes to picking a head coach as well.

While many expected Edmonton to hire former Flames and Devils head coach Brent Sutter to be their new bench boss, it appears they’ll be going with their own assistant coach Ralph Krueger for the job instead according to John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal.

Krueger is best known for his work in coaching Switzerland from 1997 to 2010 and taking the Swiss to a fourth place finish at the world championships in 1998. His work internationally led him to be Tom Renney’s assistant in Edmonton and now to being the top guy.

Krueger now gets to try and figure out how to lead the very young Oilers to being a playoff team once again and rise from the ashes of mediocrity that saw Edmonton turn into a team that picked first overall three years in a row. It’s a fine situation for Krueger to make a name for himself if he can.

Update (10:54 a.m. ET): Oilers make it official, name Krueger as head coach.