Jay Woodcroft (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)EDMONTON – It's that time.
For several NHL teams, they are on the hunt for a new head coach.
The Edmonton Oilers are no where near being in that position. However, it can be easy to forget that Kris Knoblauch is only in his first full season with the Oilers. He succeeded Jay Woodcroft, who was relieved in November of 2023.
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Since that time, Woodcroft interviewed for a few positions last season. Sadly for him, nothing materialized into a full time coaching position.
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Here we are though, in the midst of several head coaching vacancies. That naturally leads to speculation and news of many people interviewing for the prized positions.
Joel Quenneville was reported to have interviewed for the Anaheim Ducks head coach position last week. Now, another report has surfaced that Woodcroft has interviewed for the same position.
Pierre LeBrun reported that Quenneville will be getting a second interview in addition to Woodcroft getting an interview. David Carle and Mike Sullivan were also said to have met with Ducks management.
It sounds like they are further from making a decision than most first thought. With several candidates in contention, it will likely take at least a few weeks for management to sort out who the next bench boss will be.
As far as the Oilers are considered, moving on from Woodcroft was one of the best decisions they made last season. Knoblauch has instilled defensive habits in the players that is paying big dividends.
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