The Edmonton Oilers have asked for permission to speak to former New York Rangers bench boss Tom Renney about their vacant coaching job.

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Photograph by : Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

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Renney was fired two months ago in his fifth season as Rangers coach. He has a history with Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini from their days in Vancouver.

Renney coached the Canucks in 1996-97 and part of the following season when Tambellini was a member of the Canucks management.

Tambellini has only started his search for a head coach and it might not end until June -- about the same time as the NHL entry draft. It's expected he will also talk to Pat Quinn and Marc Crawford, both former Canucks coaches.

Perry Pearn, the former NAIT Ooks coach who later became Renney's assistant with the Rangers, is also interested in the Oilers job. He was also Jacques Martin's right-hand man with the Ottawa Senators and has certainly paid his dues.

Pearn was in the running for the Florida Panthers head coaching job before it was given to Peter DeBoer.

Dubnyk impresses Peeters

The contract of Oilers goaltenders coach Pete Peeters ends this summer, but the other Oilers assistants, Charlie Huddy, Billy Moores and Kelly Buchberger, have time left on their deals in the wake of Craig MacTavish being fired.

Peeters said Devan Dubnyk, the No. 1 goalie of the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League, is progressing nicely.

"You see how many shots that guy faced (1,910 in 62 games)? And his save percentage (.906)? I thought he played really well, considering the team he played on (second-last in the AHL in goals and last in points)," said Peeters.

"You have to be tough mentally when you're not winning that many games and putting in those kind of performances." Dubnyk also had seven shutouts.

Huddy sitting in limbo

Huddy, who has been with the Oilers for nine years and looks after the defence, doesn't know where he stands with the organization.

"You know what it's like when a new guy comes in, he can do what he wants. You would expect that anywhere," said Huddy. "I'll just sit and wait and see what happens." MacT in the Big Apple? Rangers bench boss John Tortorella is a good coach.

But, hypothetically, if New York general manager Glen Sather had known MacTavish would be available today, would he have gone after Tortorella after he decided to fire Renney? MacTavish and Sather are tight and MacTavish did work for the Rangers as John Muckler's assistant in the late 1990s.

jmatheson@thejournal.canwest.com