Oilers fire Woodcroft/Knoblauch hired as new HC

[Godin]

As per Friedman.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/stat...or6ZB_L_g&s=19

[Belexus75]

As per Friedman.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/stat...or6ZB_L_g&s=19

yeah few pointed out already that his was done deal no matter of the game results last night

[chuckcouples]

Replaced by McDavid's junior coach... This should go poorly.

[Axeman33]

I have a feeling this decision came from higher up than Holland.

Curious who they plan on bringing in to replace him. Gallant? Boudreau?

Edit, I see they hired Knoblauch. Not sure what to think about this. It's good to see they aren't recycling old school coaches but bringing in an inexperienced NHL coach makes me nervous too. He was hired away from the Rangers AHL team, where he was the head coach there.

[RizzeeDizzee]

This should help pop the team for at least a bit. But then we find out if indeed this guy can coach at the NHL level, especially since it seems like he's "the coach" as opposed to being named on an interim basis.

[Canucks_fan18]

Nice to see Connor get his agent to run the organization, his friend to join him on his line and now his junior coach to coach him at the NHL level. Toxic organization through and through.

[Feenom]

What a difference a year makes. Wow.

[metaldude26]

This feels like pandering, but maybe the guy works out. You also wonder how many people were available and fit within the sphere of what Jackson and Holland could agree upon.

Ultimately, coaches rarely get fired mid-season unless the PDO hits unsustainable levels, so there's a good chance it won't be worse.

I am just so frustrated and upset with this season that I didn't want to see this team get another chance with another coach. I wish everyone involved could just go into purgatory.

[2014olympicgold]

And they give Coffey the assistant coaching role without any experience? I shouldn't say ANY experience, he coached a Toronto Marlboros AAA team in 2014. Where he was given a 3 game suspension for a "discriminatory slur" towards the opposing teams head coach. The GTHL rules mean he initially was given an indefinite suspension, then the investigation happened where he was given a 3 game. Apparently the opposing team lobbied the league to be lenient on the ruling because it was being blown out of proportion.

If he was given a 3 game suspension almost 10 years ago, I wonder what his penalty would have been today.

The Oilers can't stop getting in their own way with the Old Boys Club though with the Coffey "promotion"

[GinFizz]

3 coaches in 4 years should say it all..

[doulos]

Whole thing is bizarre. How the goalie coach has a job after all these years is beyond me.

[2014olympicgold]

Whole thing is bizarre. How the goalie coach has a job after all these years is beyond me.

For how bad the Oilers goaltending has been since like Salo, I don't think a goalie coach is going to change the defensive system and defensive play the players are doing. The goalie coach also doesn't sign/trade/address the goalie situation. Which the Oilers haven't properly solved in years.

Here's the goalies Dustin Schwartz has been coaching who have played over 20 games for the Oilers....Scrivens, Fasth, Nilsson, Talbot, Koskinen, Smith, Skinner and Campbell. The Oilers have had at least 1 goalie be better than league avg in s% in 6 of the 9 seasons Schwartz has been the goalie coach.

Being a coach for 9 years tends to be rare though. I think it's just time for him to go and bring in a new set of eyes. But firing a goalie coach doesn't fix the issues overnight.

[LawMan]

Whole thing is bizarre. How the goalie coach has a job after all these years is beyond me.

Agreed.
firing Woodcroft makes sense. The Oilers returned basically the same roster but Woodcroft decided to put in a new defensive scheme, which absolutely did not work.
The fact that Dustin Schwartz has been goalie coach since 2014 makes zero sense whatsoever.

Also, not sure what to make of the hire of Knoblauch. I read good things about him from several markets and that he is the next "NHL Coach in waiting" so this is not JUST hiring McDavid's Jr. coach... those optics do not help the move.
Further, adding Coffey into the new position makes no sense.

[stevegamer]

I find it amazing that the goalie coach didn't also get fired. There has to be some reason that isn't apparent, and it's got to be pretty under the radar.

[Axeman33]

I find it amazing that the goalie coach didn't also get fired. There has to be some reason that isn't apparent, and it's got to be pretty under the radar.

8 think they are leaving that to Knoblauch to decide. I don't know a lot about goalie coaches and their availability midseason, let alone who's available in the offseason, but you're right, it's weird that he's lasted this long.