Oilers fire Woodcroft and hire new head coach

The Edmonton Oilers have made a coaching change.

Head coach Jay Woodcroft and assistant coach Dave Manson have been relieved of their duties. Kris Knoblauch, who is the current head coach of the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, will replace Woodcroft as the next head coach of the Oilers.

Oilers legend Paul Coffey was also hired to be an assistant coach.

Edmonton is making a coaching change. Jay Woodcroft being relieved of his duties. Thought last nights win would buy some time, but that’s not the case.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 12, 2023

Woodcroft leaves the Oilers with an overall regular season record of 79-41-14 and one of the best points percentages in franchise history at .643. He also helped the Oilers to their best finish in over a decade, advancing to the Western Conference Finals in 2022.

In total, he was behind the bench for three playoff series wins in 2022 and 2023.

Woodcroft was initially hired by the team in the middle of the 2021/22 season to replace former head coach Dave Tippett. It represented the first time in Oilers GM Ken Holland’s career that he had fired a head coach midseason. Just a season and a half later, he has now done it for a second time.

Knoblauch has a long history with Connor McDavid. He coached the Oilers captain in the OHL with the Eerie Otters for three seasons from 2012/13 to 2014/15. This will be his first time as an NHL head coach.

As for the team’s new assistant coach, Oilers fans should have no trouble recognizing Coffey. He is among the team’s most legendary players and leads the franchise in most defensive scoring categories. He has been with the Oilers organization in an advisory position since 2022.

Knoblauch will be the fifth head coach of McDavid’s career.

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