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When asked if head coach Jay Woodcroft may already be in trouble when it comes to his job as the coach of the Edmonton Oilers, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug noted, “Ya, I do.” He explained that this Oilers team is one that has Stanley Cup aspirations and that their performances over 10 games so far this season have warranted anything but confidence that this team is going to be a Cup contender.
Rishaug says he agrees that it is early on to be talking about this and it seems pretty drastic that the Oilers would be considering a coaching change, but he notes, “This team has Stanley Cup expectations and they’ve shown nothing so far this season.”
He added that this is a results-oriented business and the team has had no results so far. Sitting now at 2-6-1 on the year, the Oilers are ahead of only the San Jose Sharks in the Pacific Division and sit in 31st place over the entire NHL with only 5 points. Granted, three wins would launch them up the standings to the middle of the pack, but this is not a team that looks like it’s going to get one win, let alone three in a row. Rishaug said if 10 out of 10 is where you need to be to fire a coach, the Oilers are at about 7.5 or 8 out of 10. “It’s getting to be situation critical time.”
Upcoming Three-Game Road Trip Is Critical Now
The Oilers are heading out on a three-game road trip and will play the Vancouver Canucks, Seattle Kraken and San Jose Sharks. If they don’t show something on this road trip, Woodcroft could be gone before the team gets home.
Rishaug did point out that Woodcroft has shown the ability to turn a team around. Last season, their second segment in 10 games was turned around. As for what he’ll do to get this roster motivated, the TSN reporter suggested that lineup tweaks are necessary. Splitting up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl may be the place to start. If that doesn’t work, a trade may be the next course of action for GM Ken Holland, but that’s going to be hard to do considering the team’s current cap space.
Rishaug believes that McDavid is potentially dealing with an injury and he’s not sure if there’s something there and that maybe the issue is lingering. Draisaitl is probably not injured, but frustration has set in and it’s potentially affecting his game. When asking himself if both players have suffered case of the yips, Rishaug believes that’s definitely possible.
Oilers Are Putting in the Work
Rishaug said that the Oilers were on the ice on Sunday early in an effort to not only work on issues, but they’re trying to keep the mood light and not get too over-tense about the team’s issues. The trick for Woodcroft will be trying to find the right balance between keeping the team light, but also stressing that their play isn’t good enough.
The team knows they need to be better. It’s about finding that gear and playing the way they know they can. The Oilers’ performance this year has been lackluster, bordering on non-existent. With playoffs anything but a guarantee now, they must win numerous games to secure a spot. The trick is to start by winning one. Then make sure you win two in a row. If they’re both lucky and work harder than they have all season, maybe they can go on a run and Woodcroft will keep his job.
Derek Ryan noted, “We can only get through this together.”
More must-reads:
- Oilers use late heroics to tie Canucks at two games each
- Stanley Cup playoffs: Who, what everyone is talking about in the Western Conference
- The 'Super Bowl starting QBs' quiz
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