Head Coach In Danger Of Being Fired Amid Slow Start

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Craig Forde
November 5, 2023 (9:53 PM)

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In the midst of a disastrous start, the heat is being turned up on head coach Jay Woodcroft's seat in Edmonton. The Oilers have the second-worst record in the NHL.

Woodcroft In The Hotseat

In just his second year at the helm, Edmonton head coach Jay Woodcroft is beginning to feel intense heat on his seat as the Oilers have struggled to a 2-7-1 start, with just five points, second-fewest in the NHL.

After winning their third game of the season, the team put four losses between their next one. They are in the midst of a two-game losing streak and on Sunday TSN's Ryan Rishaug reported that the Edmonton bench boss' position is very much in jeopardy.

I agree it's early in the season, and it seems odd to be talking about something this drastic already, but this team has Stanley Cup expectations, and they've shown nothing so far this season.

In his first season as head coach, Woodcroft led the team to a 50-23-9 record but they bowed out in the second round, considered a disappointing finish for a team that made it to the conference finals the year prior.

No Big Changes Expected to Lineup

Despite the terrible start, the Oilers will be looking to repair things with what they have in-house, according to Elliotte Friedman who reported such on Hockey Night in Canada's Saturday Headlines.

Through 10 games the Oilers rank 23rd in the NHL with 2.70 goals per game on offense and 30th with 4.10 goals allowed per game.

Credit: Rishaug: Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft's job in jeopardy