Edmonton Oilers fire Jay Woodcroft

Woodcroft, 47, had been with the franchise since 2015-16, when he was hired as an assistant on Todd McLellan’s coaching staff. Despite the latter losing his job after the 2017-18 season, Woodcroft was re-assigned to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, the Oilers affiliate, where he enjoyed three successful seasons.

His first year there saw the team post a 42-21-3 record, a massive improvement after missing the playoffs in three prior seasons. While they missed the playoffs in his second year, his final full season behind the bench saw the Condors win the Pacific Division playoff tournament, the AHL’s playoff format amid a COVID-shortened season. At the time of his promotion to Edmonton in his fourth season, the Condors had an 18-9-4 record as they rode an 8-1-1 stretch.

When he joined the Oilers, he helped a disjointed group during Dave Tippett’s tenure. The latter appeared to lose the room, with players later saying they felt Woodcroft’s hiring helped give them more directive. Down the stretch run of that season, the Oilers went 26-9-3 as one of the best teams in the league. They beat the LA Kings in the first round of the 2022 playoffs in seven games before rolling over the Calgary Flames in five — a series that shook their franchise, leading to Matthew Tkachuk’s and Johnny Gaudreau’s departures.

The Oilers, however, were no match for a stacked Colorado Avalanche team, who swept Edmonton in four games en route to a Stanley Cup championship. Still, it earned Woodcroft a three-year contract with the club, one set to expire after this campaign.

Edmonton finished the 2022-23 season with a 50-23-9 record, earning themselves the second spot in the Pacific Division and another first-round series against the Kings. The Oilers took six games this time to knock Los Angeles out of the playoffs, but the club faltered in the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights, losing in six games. Much like the year prior with the Avalanche, Vegas won the Stanley Cup — their first in the franchise’s six-year history.