If he is not fired, I will leave the Edmonton Oilers head coach, as he has a misunderstanding with his player.
The head coach of the Edmonton Oilers had a disagreement with one of his players; if he is not sacked, I will step down.
Following my last article, in which I advised Edmonton Oilers supporters not to panic despite their team’s 2–6–1, they lost three more games, including one against the Vancouver Canucks, despite outshooting Vancouver 19–4 in the first thirteen minutes and trailing 2–1. The Oilers have since discarded Jack Campbell and recalled Calvin Pickard.
There are a lot of rumors circulating, ranging from the termination of Jay Woodcroft to the purchase of Jordan Binnington. In my view, firing Woodcroft would constitute a fireable offense. I don’t think he is to blame for the state of affairs right now. Here’s why Woody shouldn’t get any of the blame, supported by episodes from the past.
The Oilers were in a difficult situation on February 10, 2022, when Woodcroft was hired. Under former coach Dave Tippett, they just went 2-11-2 during a run in which they dropped back-to-back games at home. The Oilers benched Tippett and started Woodcroft and Dave Manson after trailing by a few points behind a wildcard place.
The Oilers were vying for a wild card position on New Year’s Eve of the next season. On the eve of the New Year, they had improved from a 10–10 start to a 20–16–2 record. They turned on a heater once again. The Oilers finished the season with a 30–7–7 record from January 1 until the end. That was superior to the record-setting Boston Bruins as the greatest in the NHL during that time. The Oilers then fell short against the Vegas Golden Knights, who went on to win the Stanley Cup once more.
