Woodcroft's Last Game as Oilers Head Coach?

[Leaf Fans]

so would another team

yup.

Who'd want a 5th D making 9.5 hahaha

I have no idea.

 

[AmabileCassarole]

Coach and GM need to go. Then start looking wth is Boston as example doing. They lost two BIG players and nothing changed. They are still on top of NHL

And who should replace said coach and GM? And would they even want to go to Edmonton? Ken Holland singlehandedly skewered the franchise, and unlike Detroit, there's no one in the wings worth a damn that can fix it.

 

[Sports2]

Yeah, fire everyone tbh. Rebuild 3.0 is probably going to happen soon.

Edmonton 3.0: You Can (Not) Beat Sharks

 

[Oilslick941611]

Oilers board is a fun read

It’s actually like this at all times. Theres usually a fire the coach/gm thread when the team is winning.

 

[ORRFForever]

I have no idea whether he is a good or bad coach. However, the team needs a shake up and easiest shake up is changing the head coach - it's quick, easy and the path of least resistance.

 

[Crazy Cizikas]

I don't think it matters. Need a change of the entire brain trust.

Yeah, this is true for a few teams. They stick to the methods that worked for team legends 30, 40 years ago. And expect it to work forever. They completely ignore growing the team just to appease the Old Guard.

 

[Patch101]

Has to be

 

[egelband]

No coach is getting that group to commit to playing defense.

 

[ijuka]

No coach is getting that group to commit to playing defense.

Maybe they should hire Mike Babcock.

 

[toewsintangibles]

At this point I think its Drai and McDavid wasting their own careers

 

[Eternal Leaf]

Yeah, it's not looking too good for Woodcroft after the SJ loss and this is a brutal blow to an already hurting team.

I still think the guy that needs to be fired is Holland. A few coaches might be able to get this group higher up in the standings but is that really what they are striving for in Edmonton?

The roster construction is a joke.

 

[Seras]

Even if you hire a new GM it would take years to fix this mess, any attempt at a trade would be squashed as every single team in the league already knows you are desperate and willing to do anything.

You have to pretty much accept that either you get someone who can fix your misfit toys or give up and take the long route

 

[bleedgreen]

I don’t get the sarcastic comments about 97 vs 87.

Those Pens teams had way more depth, better D and goaltending. It doesn’t have much to do with McDrai, the rest of the team is pretty meh. Those two can’t do it all themselves and no matter what people want to believe about those Pens teams, Crosby and Malkin couldn’t have done it all themselves either.

 

[Buck Naked]

They'd have to get the Flames permission, get Darryl to agree and pay him more than the 8M he's getting for hanging out at the farm.

 

[centipede2233]

I think drai and mcdavid will both go to ufa and join yzerman in Detroit where there is a tradition of winning. Close to Toronto where mcdavid’s family is

 

[DeltaSwede]

Holland deserves all the criticism he gets but in reality he has already got a foot out the door with his contract expiring. Holland has a boss to answer to since Jackson was hired. I don't see anyone including Jeff in the finger pointing.

The Oilers are a really poorly coached team. They are playing a system that is exposing their biggest weaknesses and when the offense isn't there to cover for it, this is the horrible result. I don't see a coach that is coaching to get the best out of the players he has.

Yes, if they were getting a little better goaltending and some more offense they would look a little more ok. Ambition is set at cup or bust - still not good enough.

Even against the Sharks the goals against come from blown defensive assignments or an odd-man rush. They are late on the play all over the ice. Easy team to play against

 

[daver]

I don’t get the sarcastic comments about 97 vs 87.

Those Pens teams had way more depth, better D and goaltending. It doesn’t have much to do with McDrai, the rest of the team is pretty meh. Those two can’t do it all themselves and no matter what people want to believe about those Pens teams, Crosby and Malkin couldn’t have done it all themselves either.

That's pretty much what they did in 2009. You cannot find a Cup winner in NHL history that was so reliant on two forwards as the 2009 Pens were. And, no, Fleury was not a major factor in their run.

It's been 8 years now and the Oilers cannot separate McDavid and Draisaitl, apparently two franchise #1Cs, consistently at ES like the Pens did with Malkin and Crosby to create some depth. Crosby is clearly better as an all around player whereas McDavid is used as an offensive weapon.

You pick McDavid if you want to Run and Gun, you pick Crosby if you want other options.

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

Yeah, someone has to take the fall at this point, I expect Woodcroft to be fired later today

 

[DearDiary]

I don’t get the sarcastic comments about 97 vs 87.

Those Pens teams had way more depth, better D and goaltending. It doesn’t have much to do with McDrai, the rest of the team is pretty meh. Those two can’t do it all themselves and no matter what people want to believe about those Pens teams, Crosby and Malkin couldn’t have done it all themselves either.

Crosby/Malkin made the playoffs every year regardless of how bad their wingers were and played way better when one of them was out of the lineup. iirc the 2nd most injured team since the lockout, behind the Canucks. Meanwhile McDrai are glued together on the same line. When they're not, they need RNH on one of their lines, killing the teams depth.

 

[Three On Zero]

Is he a bad coach, or just being let down by goaltending, or both?

Until a coach comes in and has the testicular fortitude to actually keep McDavid and Draisaitl apart and have them focus on a 2-way game, every coach that comes will be bad. We see it over and over where the coach just ends up playing the McDrai and pray game. Edmonton is a one trick pony and they are paying for it

 

[Frank Drebin]

Hello Oiler fans, Leaf fan coming in peace. Just wanted to let you know I see a lot of potential in your team. Really felt like you deserved a better result tonight. I think a few more top ten picks and you guys will be unstoppable.

Good luck during the rest of this century. =

Forever yours,

Bill W.

Glad you're enjoying the misery, Leafs fan.

Chat in May.

Signed,

Rest of the NHL

 

[Three On Zero]

I think drai and mcdavid will both go to ufa and join yzerman in Detroit where there is a tradition of winning. Close to Toronto where mcdavid’s family is

Tradition of winning what exactly?

 

[Chips]

I’ll say in Woodcroft defense, he’s not perfect and firing the coach is always the first move but

1. 12 games sucks but it’s basically still a small sample size. Not to say it wouldn’t suck if they miss the playoffs but he’s got a longer better record with this team and the primary issues are with the roster

2. That roster is flawed as hell and he’s got a longer record of a really good win/point percentage with them

3. I love how Spector spent weeks eviscerating the goaltending as problem number 1, then in his post sharks win article calls the record a firing offense as if Woodcroft has control over the goaltending. How about the goalie coach or the GM?

4. Maybe it’s the system.. but it’s a really common system and it shouldn’t be this hard to adjust. Maybe that’s still his fault but I feel like the first game of the season sent this team into a mental tailspin that it will correct from regardless who’s coach


5. The New Coach bump is real, but beyond that you better hope that new coach is actually better than Woodcroft because that coach bump might not save their season anyway, and if Woodcrofts broader record is for real then medium term they may be screwing themselves.

Maybe have faith in him the way the Avs had faith in Bednar after his first season went terribly. Shit happens. Maybe if it is the system stick with it a while to see if they get it, otherwise just switch back at some point.

Maybe if you’re changing coaches every two years there’s a different problem?

 

[I am toxic]

4. Maybe it’s the system.. but it’s a really common system and it shouldn’t be this hard to adjust. Maybe that’s still his fault but I feel like the first game of the season sent this team into a mental tailspin that it will correct from regardless who’s coach

They actually recovered from the 8-1 loss to the Canucks in that first game, despite the whining about pulling Demko after he vomited in his mask.

It was the second game, again losing to the Canucks after dominating, that broke them. Broken by PDO.

Anyway, Woodcroft is toast.

 

[hi]

How can anyone sit down for a job interview with Woodcraft and think "We need to hire this guy!" He has that deer in the headlights and I don't belong here look