It hasn’t been smooth sailing for former Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft this offseason.
After being fired from the Oilers in November of last season, the 47-year-old Woodcroft has been unable to land another head coaching gig in the NHL despite many teams that had openings for the position.
The most recent opportunity was with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and while Woodcroft was reportedly a finalist for the job, the team eventually decided to go with ex-Minnesota Wild head coach Dean Evason instead.
GOT OUR GUY 🤩
We’ve named Dean Evason as our new head coach!
We’re thrilled to welcome Dean and his wife Genevieve to the #CBJ family!
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— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) July 22, 2024
With the Blue Jackets hiring their new head coach, this now slams the door on Woodcroft getting another crack at heading up an NHL bench to start next season. Columbus was the last team this summer looking for a new coach.
This, however, was far from the only opportunity for Woodcroft. Since he got fired from the Oilers, a total of 12 teams have made head coaching changes. This includes a mix of competitive teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets as well as a slew of rebuilding teams like the San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres.
Yet, for whatever reason, Woodcroft has not been able to land another job in the NHL after leading the Oilers to a 79-41-13 record, an appearance in the Western Conference Final, and a sparkling .643 winning percentage in two seasons behind the bench.
He hasn’t been completely inactive from coaching since leaving the Oilers. Woodcroft was on Team Canada’s bench during the 2024 IIHF World Championships as an assistant alongside Evason.
Some teams have even opted to hire a first-time head coach, with the Jets (Scott Arniel), Sharks (Ryan Warsofsky), LA Kings (Jim Hiller), and St. Louis Blues (Drew Bannister) taking that route over Woodcroft.
The fact that a young coach with such an impressive track record early in his career is having so much trouble finding a new NHL gig is quite confusing.
While this likely means that a head-coaching gig in the NHL is most likely out of the question to start the season for Woodcroft, there is no doubt that other openings will eventually present themselves throughout next season.