Edmonton Oilers hire Dallas Eakins as new coach

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Edmonton, Alberta • The Edmonton Oilers have hired Dallas Eakins as their new coach, replacing the fired Ralph Krueger.

Eakins is the fourth coach in the past five seasons for the Oilers, who have not made the playoffs since reaching the Stanley Cup final in 2006.

Krueger's Oilers went 19-22-7 during his one season.

The 46-year-old Eakins spent the past four seasons with the AHL's Toronto Marlies, reaching the Calder Cup final in 2012.

Eakins was previously an assistant under Paul Maurice with the Maple Leafs for two seasons and was considered an up-and-coming name in NHL coaching circles. He reportedly drew interest from the Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks before Monday's hire.

Eakins takes over a young roster that includes No. 1 picks Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov, along with Jordan Eberle and Justin Schultz.