Who is the right fit as the next coach of the Edmonton Oilers?

CONNOR MCDAVID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, now that I have that out of my system let's get down to the real question.

Who is the right fit as the next coach of the Edmonton Oilers?

There is absolutely no doubt that McDavid brings a lot of swing as who is the next coach. Especially when you look at the players he will be playing with in Edmonton in the great years ahead.

Todd Nelson has undoubtedly done good enough of a job to be able to continue as the Oilers next head coach.

He came in midseason to a roster filled with familiar faces from the OKC Barons and after returning the ping-pong table to it's rightful location in the locker room, he greatly improved the atmosphere surrounding the Oilers.

There is no doubting the fact that the players greatly enjoyed playing under Nelson and he helped push the Oilers Power Play number up to around 25% for a period of time in the second half of the season.

"I think now that Nellie has taken over, we're trying to find an identity and play with an identity. But now that Nellie has taken over, hockey is starting to become fun again. The puck has been going in and the power play has been clicking," said Jordan Eberle, an unabashed and vocal believer in new coach Todd Nelson.

- Terry Jones, Edmonton Sun

On the other hand, Todd McLellan just got fired by the San Jose Sharks.

McLellan is a coach I am a little bit on the fence about bringing into Edmonton. He has been known for "burning players out".

I'm not saying that the reason I don't feel he wouldn't work is because of that, but I look at Todd Nelson and I feel that the two are both very similar in terms of their coaching styles.

BABS OR NELSON

The true wildcard is Mike Babcock. With Detroit still being in the playoffs, and teams like the Flyers and Leafs who both covet McLellan, the Oilers may simply be forced to wait it out and see what happens.

It's a surreal thought, just like getting McDavid was, but I wonder how interested Babs would be in coming to coach the Edmonton Oilers. Nicholson clearly has ties to him due to all of the success with Hockey Canada, and Kevin Lowe has also been a part of the winning there too.

I wonder if Babcock would look at the situation in Edmonton as being one that could provide a lot of upside for him in his career. The young group of guys Edmonton has built up is ready for a coach who can take their game to the next level.

Babcock has the ability to do lots with very little. Just look at the Red Wings this year.

With him coming to Edmonton, it would almost be certain that he would be wanting a say in the player personnel. Personally, I would have no issue with allowing that as I look at his track record with the teams he has coached on.

By no means am I saying that Todd Nelson is going to be a bust, or that McLellan would be too. But I question if it is the right move to bring McLellan in at this point in time.

If it were to be McLellan or Babcock, would Nelson accept a role as an associate coach?

I am a firm believer that the next coach, whomever that is, needs to be able to take this team to the next level. The playoffs may not be coming to Edmonton next year, but there is no doubt that the Edmonton Oilers have expedited the process in becoming a successful franchise once again.

What do you think? Drop a line in the comment section.