“We want to win”: McDavid hopeful new coach can turn Oilers season around
Change is happening with the Edmonton Oilers. And Connor McDavid is open to it.
How open?
“Very open,” the Oilers captain said Friday morning, the same day new coach Jay Woodcroft will make his debut as head coach behind Edmonton’s bench.
“Obviously, something needs to change. Woody’s going to come in and put his touch on the group, touch on the team,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. “As players, that’s what we want. We’re all in this together.
“I’m not sure why…sometimes I think people forget that we’re here to win. We’re up here and come in each and every day, and we want to win. We haven’t found the formula yet, and that’s all we want to do.
“Whatever system Woody puts into place, we’re happy to play.”
"You look at Woody, this is an opportunity that he's earned… there's excitement for him & we've got to come out & play hard for him."
Nurse on Coach Woodcroft's addition ahead of his head coaching debut tonight vs. the Islanders.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/XVbJztWJoA
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 11, 2022
New roles. Different responsibilities. Trimmed ice time.
It’s all fair game for the slumping Oilers, after general manager Ken Holland fired skipper Dave Tippett, and assistant Jim Playfair, after two-plus seasons at the helm of the consistently inconsistent squad.
Especially with the Oilers tumbling down the Western Conference standings after two listless losses coming out of the All-Star break.
“I’m open to anything to win,” McDavid said.
“We fully support Kenny and what he’s trying to do, and we’re all in this together trying to do the same thing, and that’s win. Kenny brought in Woody. Looking forward to working with Woody.”
The Oilers find themselves six points back of the division-rival Anaheim Ducks for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference with 38 games remaining — including tonight’s tilt with the New York Islanders.
It’s a far cry from pacing the NHL in winning percentage just over two months ago.
So change was a necessity.
There’s more coming too.
“We need to change something, obviously,” said Leon Draisaitl, who holds a share of the NHL lead in points alongside Jonathan Huberdeau of the Florida Panthers with 64 apiece. “And I’m sure Woody will come in with new ideas, with his philosophy, with his plan, and we’re all-in on that. We’ve got open ears, and we’re ready to go.”
"He's a great hockey mind, really gets the game & brings a lot of positive energy to the rink every day. I'm excited to see how he transfers that to being a head coach."
RNH on Jay Woodcroft taking over as he & Draisaitl speak pre-game.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/muKQfefio3
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 11, 2022
It’ll start on the defensive side of the puck. The Oilers have surrendered the first goal in a remarkable 32 of 44 games this season.
Their ability to outscore opponents after has dried up, too.
Edmonton is 12th in goals-for per game at 3.18. They’re 10th-worst in surrendering 3.32.
“It’s not like we go into games predicting that we’re going to win 5-4,” Draisaitl said. “That’s not the mindset that we have. I think sometimes, when the ball gets rolling a little bit, we tend to sit back a little bit instead of really tightening it up and really focus on the little things. It’s not like we go into games pretending we’re going to score five goals every game. I don’t understand where that’s coming from, to be honest.
“But obviously, there’s no secret that we need to be better defensively.”
No secret at all.
Not when the Oilers have been outscored 100-88 at 5-on-5.
Not with a team that’s 26th in the standings since December 2, sporting a 7-13-3 record for 17 points, a .370 winning percentage, and surrendering on average over a goal-per-game above its own scoring pace.
Not with a playoff window that’s shrinking quicker than it’s expanding.
“It’s never fun to go through a coaching change, obviously,” McDavid said. “Tipp’s a guy we liked a lot in that room. He put everything he had into it. Just was time to make a change, I guess. I really appreciate all his time and effort and am excited to bring Woody back.
“We can all be better, obviously. That goes without saying. Anytime there’s a coaching change, the players realize we can all be better for sure. There’s no secret there. There’s no denying that.
“As a group, I think we can be better.”