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Edmonton Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson recently opened up about the reasons behind the firing of head coach Jay Woodcroft in November.
The Oilers entered the season as one of the favorites for the Stanley Cup. However, they have had a turbulent start to the season, failing to score goals and struggling to pick up points regularly.
Given the Oilers' subpar results, the pressure on the franchise's front office started to mount significantly. As a result, the organization decided to make changes, which led to the decision to fire Woodcroft after 133 games in charge of the club.
Jeff Jackson told The Athletic that the decision was a difficult one, but given the Oilers' start of the season, it had to happen.
Jackson further said that they remained patient initially, but in the end, change was necessary:
"It’s very difficult,’’ Jackson said. “Jay and Dave are both awesome human beings and they’re very good coaches. Those decisions are always very difficult. It’s not a fun thing. That’s the nature of the business, too, and we felt that the change was necessary with our start. We were trying to be patient with it, but it just seemed like it was the right time."
Jay Woodcorft was fired following the Oilers' best performance of the season at that time, defeating the Seattle Kraken 4-1. Following that game, Kris Knoblauch was announced as the new head coach of the club along with Paul Coffey.
What's next for the Edmonton Oilers?
Under new coach Kris Knoblauch, the Oilers have started to find their stride. They came away with a 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday and are seventh in the Pacific Divison with 19 points.
The Oilers are riding a four-game winning streak, which includes a shutout over the Washington Capitals. Meanwhile, the star duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have started to find their form. They are tied at 29 points as the leading scorers for the club.
The Edmonton Oilers will look to maintain their momentum when they face the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday, Dec. 6. The puck drops at 9:30 p.m. ET.
