Oilers add NHL legend to their coaching staff on Sunday.

The Edmonton Oilers fired head coach Jay Woodcroft on Sunday to the surprise of many, but it is becoming crystal clear that this was not a snap decision on the part of Ken Holland with new pieces reportedly already being moved into place.

National Hockey League insider Frank Seravalli has reported two additional details surrounding the Jay Woodcroft firing, both of which are of extreme interest. The first is that assistant coach Dave Manson was also fired on Sunday along with Jay Woodcroft, and Manson's termination may be related to the second detail.

Seravalli is also reporting that NHL legend Paul Coffey will be joining the Oilers coaching staff as an assistant, this in spite of the fact that Coffey has virtually no experience behind the bench as a coach. Coffey coached the Pickering Panthers of the OJHL for a single season, but that is the limit of his coaching experience at the professional level.

That being said there is no doubt that Coffey brings with him a wealth of hockey knowledge as a former veteran of 1409 NHL games himself. Coffey is also considered to be among the best defensemen of all time, accumulating an incredible 396 goals and 1135 assists for a total of 1531 points as a defenseman over his entire career. General manager Ken Holland is no doubt hoping that Coffey will be able to assist the Oilers' much maligned defense in his new role behind the bench.