Potential reasons why Jay Woodcroft has been denied for several coaching jobs
Photo credit: USA Today
Former Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft being passed over may show that teams aren't willing to commit to the young coach.
With the amount of head coach hirings this year, many thought that Woodcroft would have a good chance at getting a new job on an NHL team. Woodcroft had looks from some teams this year, but still ended up without a job after all was said and done. It brings up the question of why he is still without a job, as there can be multiple reasons as to why.
There are a multitude of reasons why Woodcroft may not have gotten a job this year, but there's seem to not be many that are accessible to the public.
One reason could be his stubbornness when it comes to the system he tried to implement for the Oilers. One of the biggest reasons why the Oilers started the season so cold was due to Woodcroft implementing a new defensive system for the team, which he time and time again defended and said they just need to get used to it.
The defensive system is what landed the Oilers at the bottom of the standings, and his inability to change is a very undesirable quality in a head coach. Coaching in the NHL is about flexibility and the ability to realize what needs to be changed both in and out of games. Woodcroft's refusal to change the system that was losing them games may be seen as a huge red flag to teams looking to hire.
Other hockey analysts have pointed towards Woodcroft's relative inexperience as a reason he's been out of a job. Woodcroft was a finalist to coach the Columbus Blue Jackets this season, but lost out to the much more experienced and tough candidate in Dean Evason.
Outside of Woodcroft himself, this year also saw a massive uptick in hiring within the organizations. 5 of the 9 new head coaches were promoted from within the organization, leaving only 4 spots for new coaches. It may or may not be Woodcroft's fault that he is out of a job right now, but most would be very surprised if he didn't have a job very soon.
Source: OilersNation
OilersNation discusses why Woodcroft is still unemployed
| POLL | ||
8 AOUT | 163 ANSWERS Potential reasons why Jay Woodcroft has been denied for several coaching jobs Would you hire Woodcroft as a head coach? | ||
| Yes | 75 | 46 % |
| No | 88 | 54 % |
| List of polls | ||
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