Despite a win against the Seattle Kraken, Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft was fired by the team and replaced by Hartford Wolfpack coach Kris Knoblauch. It appears that Oilers’ legend Paul Coffey will be joining Knoblauch, who will be a head coach in the NHL for the first time, as an assistant coach.
It’s the second big move the Oilers have made over the last year that has a direct connection with Connor McDavid, the team’s best player. Over the summer they hired his agent, Jeff Jackson, to be the CEO of Hockey Operations. Knoblauch was the head coach of the Erie Otters, the junior team that McDavid played for prior to being drafted.
Despite the win against Seattle, the die had likely been cast once the Oilers lost to the San Jose Sharks in their prior game. That loss tied them with the Sharks for the fewest points in the league with 5. Even with their latest win they are still 8 points behind Arizona (!) for the second and final playoff spot, with 6 teams between them. There is a lot of season left for the Oilers to make a run, but it will be tough sledding.
Changing the coach doesn’t fix their goaltending. Jack Campbell (.871) and Stuart Skinner (.861) are ranked 65th and 67th in the league in that category. The two have combined for a -10.82 GSAx on the season. The poor play has already led to Campbell being re-assigned to the AHL.
An optimist might say that their goaltending can’t be that bad, and even a slight regression to the mean will lead to a few more wins. The same can be said about their shooting percentage, which is 31st in the league at 6.47%. They are second in the league at 5v5 expected goals with 3.32, so they are due to start getting some pucks bouncing their way.
Will they follow up the coaching change with some personnel moves as well? Outside of their struggles in net, their is room for upgrades on the defense. As they are up against the salary cap ceiling, any move they make will require them to send a contract out as well. It’ll be an interesting next couple of weeks for general manager Ken Holland.
Lightning / NHL News
Lalonde sees Sweden as a chance to spark season [NHL.com]
It’s Global Series time! Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde is leaning on his experience in Sweden with the Lightning back in 2019 to motivate his young Detroit team that has stumbled a bit after their quick start. The Wings will be joined by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Minnesota Wild that will take place from November 16-19 at the Avicii Arena in Stockholm.
Former Flyers goaltender Roman Cechmanek dies at 52 [NBC Sports Philadelphia]
Drafted at the age of 29 by the Flyers, Cechmanek was a solid goaltender for Philadelphia, going 92-43-22 over three seasons from 2000-2003. He was the runner up for the Vezina in his first season with them when he went 35-15-6 with a .921 SV% and 2.01 GAA. He spent the 2003-04 season with the LA Kings before heading back to his native Czechia during the lockout.
Hurricanes reassign Ponomarev from Tucson to Chicago [Carolina Hurricanes]
Moving a prospect from one AHL team to another normally wouldn’t rate mentioning, but it’s interesting that it looks like Carolina is starting to send some of their prospects to Chicago after the two organizations severed their affiliation after last season. Domenick Fensore, Griffen Mendel, and Ronan Seeley later joined Ponomarev in Chicago after starting their season in the ECHL. Off to a 1-6-1 record after filling their roster with veterans on AHL-only deals, it’s possible that Chicago realizes they needed some younger, NHL-affiliated talent on their team. It’s possible that it gives Carolina a spot to assign goaltender Pytor Kochetkov, who had been playing with the Crunch, once Frederik Andersen is healthy, or they sign a veteran.
Penguins to retire Jagr’s number [Pensburgh]
After more than two decades away from the city where he became a NHL superstar, Jaromir Jagr will finally see his famed #68 raised to the rafters as the Pittsburgh Penguins announced they will retire his jersey on February 18th, 2024. Despite winning two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh, the end of his tenure in the city was acrimonious as he requested a trade and was ultimately dealt to Washington. After spending a few seasons playing in Europe, rumors flew around that he would make his return to the NHL. Not only did he not sign with the Penguins, he signed with their cross-state rivals, the Flyers, and helped Philadelphia eliminate Pittsburgh in the playoffs.
Debating the Hockey Hall of Fame cases for a few active stars [The Athletic]
With the inductions tonight, it’s the time of year when folks debate which active players could make the hall of fame when they’re done. The Athletic debates a few players that are on the cusp in Joe Pavelski, Kris Letang, John Tavares, Sergei Bobrovsky, Jeff Carter, and Jamie Benn.
