Oilers might be close to firing head coach Woodcroft: report
The Edmonton Oilers might have a new head coach soon, according to new reports.
The team is off to one of the worst starts in franchise history with a 2-7-1 record through the first 10 games of the season. This has the Oilers second-last in the entire league and 18 points behind the division-leading Vegas Golden Knights.
This is despite huge expectations heading into the season, with many predicting the Oilers to be a legitimate threat to win the Stanley Cup. The lack of success to start the season has now put head coach Jay Woodcroft’s job in peril, according to a report from TSN’s Ryan Rishaug.
“This team has Stanley Cup expectations and they have shown nothing so far this season,” Rishaug said. “Unfortunately for Jay Woodcroft, and he knows this, it’s a results-oriented business and they have had no results so far.
“I do believe [firing Woodcroft] is on the table. If 10 out of 10 is where you are at when you fire a coach I’d put this in the seven and a half to eight range. It is getting to be situation critical time.”
The coaching situation as I see it.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) November 5, 2023
It sounds like this upcoming road trip for the Oilers will be critical in deciding if a new voice is needed behind the bench. The team is set to take on the Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, and Seattle Kraken on a three-game trip.
According to Rishaug, something positive needs to happen on this trip.
“They need to show something significant on this road trip or there will be changes,” reported Rishaug.
Woodcroft has shown an ability to help the team break out of slumps in the past. When he was hired back in February 2022 he helped an Oilers team out of a playoff spot rally in the last few months to a Western Conference Finals berth.
He was also instrumental in helping the team rebound from a 10-10-0 start to last season. There have been times when Wooodcroft has shown an ability to help this team rebound, but patience seems to wearing thin in Oil Country.
If a coaching change does happen, there are a few potential candidates that could step in. Inside the organization, Oilers assistant coach Glen Gulutzan has coached both the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames before and is the architect of the team’s lethal powerplay.
Outside candidates could include a variety of veteran head coaches including Gerard Gallant, Claude Julien, and Mike Babcock, who coached the Detroit Red Wings when current Oilers GM Ken Holland was in charge.
Oilers fans should be used to coaching changes. Since McDavid entered the league in 2015, the team has gone through three head coaches with Todd McLellan, Dave Tippett, and now Woodcroft.
Perhaps the most important road trip for the Oilers season is set to get started on Monday as they take on the surging Vancouver Canucks.
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