After an abysmal start to the 2023-24 season, the Edmonton Oilers have fired head coach Jay Woodcroft and assistant coach Dave Manson. They have also named Kris Knoblauch as head coach with Paul Coffey as an assistant.
The #Oilers announced today that head coach Jay Woodcroft & assistant coach Dave Manson have been relieved of their coaching duties.⁰
Hartford Wolf Pack head coach Kris Knoblauch will assume head coaching duties with the Oilers & will be joined by assistant coach Paul Coffey.
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 12, 2023
Edmonton Oilers Let Jay Woodcroft Go
Expectations versus results can end great or very poorly. For the Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft, this has ended very poorly. The Oilers decided to part ways with Woodcroft after a shockingly poor start to the season. Woodcroft took over the reins in Edmonton part of the way through the 2021-22 season following Dave Tippett‘s departure. Coming from the Oilers AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors, Woodcroft took Edmonton to the Conference Finals that year. He then signed a three-year contract as permanent head coach in the offseason. The following season he would lead the Oilers to another postseason appearance. This time losing to the Seattle Kraken in the Second Round.
However, this season the Oilers shocked everyone. And not in a good way. As an early Stanley Cup favourite, Edmonton came out of the gates ice cold. They were competing with the San Jose Sharks for the worst team. But San Jose is in a rebuild. The Oilers are not. And that makes a difference.
What This Means
It may seem quick to let the otherwise fairly solid coach go. However, the Oilers were early favourites to win the Stanley Cup. Not to mention they boast two of the top forwards in the league in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. When you have these expectations and this firepower, a fall this far is just too much to take. And the Oilers upper management couldn’t take any more.
The way the NHL recycles coaches and with Woodcroft showing some past success, he very well may find his way behind another NHL bench soon. Meanwhile, Edmonton will look to right the ship with Knoblauch as soon as possible to claw their way back into a playoff spot. Never say never, but playoffs or not, it will be without Woodcroft.
Main Photo Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
