"I haven't watched much": Woodcroft not keeping up with Oilers since firing

Jay Woodcroft is closely monitoring the NHL playoffs, though he isn’t tuning in to his former team, the Edmonton Oilers, very often.

Woodcroft, who many considered a favourite for the Jack Adams Award entering the season, was fired in mid-November after a shockingly rough 3-9-1 start. Despite the Oilers’ horrendous play, however, many were surprised that general manager Ken Holland didn’t give him a bit of a longer leash to turn things around.

Woodcroft was replaced by Kris Knoblauch, who went on to lead the Oilers to a 46-18-5 record the rest of the way.

The firing had to have been extremely frustrating to Woodcroft, who joined the Oilers organization in 2015-16. It appears there may still be some bitterness on his end, as he admitted recently that he hasn’t kept up with them since being let go.

“I haven’t watched much of the Edmonton Oilers since I was let go there in November,” Woodcroft said on Sportsnet 590’s Real Kyper and Bourne show. “It was a choice I made. I spend more time studying the league and studying trends that are occurring [in] the league. For me, I’ve spent a lot of time during this playoffs watching the Eastern Conference.”

Jay Woodcroft was asked today about what he’s seen out of the #LetsGoOilers so far in the playoffs:

“I haven’t watched much of the Edmonton Oilers since I was let go in November. That was a choice I’ve made and I’ve spent more time studying the league.” pic.twitter.com/WADYEoJEG3

— Adhi (@OilerAlert) April 30, 2024

Though Woodcroft’s tenure ended far sooner than he would have liked, the 47-year-old had plenty of success with the Oilers after taking over the head coaching role partway through the 2021-22 season.

Not only did he lead them to a Western Conference Final in 2022 – the furthest they have gone with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl – but he also put together an extremely impressive 79-41-13 record. Considering that success paired with the work he seems to still be putting in, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see him given another head coaching opportunity at the NHL level shortly.

In the meantime, Woodcroft will have work in the very near future, as he was recently named an assistant coach for Team Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Championships.

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