Oilers fire Jay Woodcroft

There, it’s done.

What had to happen, happened. Jay Woodcroft was fired by the Oilers, despite his team’s victory last night.

That’s what Elliotte Friedman posted on his X account.

With a record of 3-9-1, Edmonton is in second-to-last place in the Western Association.

As I mentioned above, the team won yesterday against the Kraken, but the firing decision may have been made before the game. Management might not have liked the way the team won, either. Did something happen in the dressing room? Did the players get fed up and talk to management?

Maybe they did.

A head coaching position has just opened up. Will Patrick Roy be considered for the job? He’s been linked with the Ottawa Senators because of the bilingual market, but Edmonton is a big one, and above all, it’s a Canadian market. The perfect destination for him? The question arises.

By the way, is he in Alberta at the time of writing?

Can someone ask Norman if Patrick Roy has been spotted in Edmonton?

– DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) November 12, 2023

The Alberta outfit’s far-from-perfect GM, Ken Holland, is currently running out the final year of a five-year contract. It will be interesting to see if he hires an interim coach instead, leaving the potential new GM (if fired or not renewed) to find his own driver.

One thing is certain, this dismissal (even if it was expected by some) is not unanimously supported. After all, it’s not Woodcroft’s fault that his (former) goalkeepers, in particular, aren’t getting the job done.

Extension

Despite his dismissal, Woodcroft has made a good first impression at the helm of an NHL team. Will he get a job soon?

He’s only 47…