Former Oilers Coach Jay Woodcroft Could Get Another NHL Job With Two Coaches on Hot Seat

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Liam McCormick
November 12, 2024 (10:51)

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Former Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft is one of the best available NHL coaches on the sidelines right now, and with two bench bosses on the hot seat, he may get an opportunity soon.

The Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins are mightily struggling right now, and there's reports that both could be considering a coaching change. Mike Sullivan or Jim Montgomery could be the first fired coaches this season.

The Bruins have begun the season with a mediocre 7-7-1 record and extremely poor play, something that's not satisfying the Boston crowd that expects to contend every year. The Penguins are old and have been trending down for years, but this season is already worse with a 6-9-1 record.

It feels more likely that the Penguins would make a coaching move, considering that they've missed the playoffs for two years and want to pretend to contend in the last years of Crosby's career. Thankfully for Woodcroft, Pittsburgh would be a great fit for him.

Penguins GM Kyle Dubas is known for being a progressive manager who places emphasis on analytics, just as Jay Woodcroft does. Woodcroft would even have experience coaching a similarly top heavy team like Pittsburgh is.

According to recent reports from Elliotte Friedman, teams have been reaching out to Joel Quenneville and Todd McLellan for coaching changes.
The Nashville Predators were named as another team that could soon make a change.

In parts of three seasons coaching the Oilers, Woodcroft owns an impressive record of 79-41-13. He was considered a finalist for the coaching job in Columbus this offseason. It's unfortunate he's been out of the league for a bit, but it looks like he'll have a chance to get back in very soon.