Rishaug expects Woodcroft to coach Saturday as Oilers complete road trip
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A coaching change does not appear imminent for the Edmonton Oilers and Jay Woodcroft following a loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.
TSN Oilers Reporter Ryan Rishaug notes his "sense is there won’t be any movement on the coaching front today with the Oilers."
Rishaug expects Woodcroft to be behind the bench for Saturday's game against the Seattle Kraken as the Oilers complete their current three-game road trip. He adds "all things will be evaluated after" Saturday's game as the team returns home.
Thursday's 3-2 defeat left the Oilers tied at five points in the league's basement with the Sharks, but Woodcroft said post-game that he was not concerned about his job security.
“No, I worry about taking care of my daily business and my daily process, and making sure that I give my players something to focus on and concentrate on,” Woodcroft said. “No one’s happy with where we’re at. We all own it.
"We can better, and that’s where my focus is.”
Edmonton was on a shortlist of Stanley Cup favourites coming into the season but have started 2-9-1 and are already 18 points behind the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights. The team is currently mired in a four-game losing skid.
Woodcroft is in his second full season as head coach of the Oilers, having taken over from Dave Tippett in February of 2022 to lead the Oilers into the postseason with a 26-9-3 record down the stretch.
This season's start has been a significant drop-off for the Oilers, who reached the playoffs for the fourth straight year last season. Their best result during that stretch was reaching the Western Conference Final under Woodcroft in 2022, when the Oilers were swept by the Colorado Avalanche.