Report: New Jersey Devils Considering Former Oilers Coach for Vacant Position

According to a report from TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger, the New Jersey Devils are speaking with multiple candidates for their vacant head coach position, including former Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft.

Woodcroft, 47, coached the Oilers for parts of three seasons, compiling a regular season record of 79-41-3 and a playoff record of 14-14. Woodcroft was fired on Nov. 12 after the Oilers started the 2023-24 season with a dismal 3-9-1 record.

The Oilers finished second in the Pacific Division after going on a 46-18-5 run under new head coach Kris Knoblauch.

Woodcroft is certainly one of the more prominent candidates for the Devils’ head coaching vacancy. He guided the Oilers to some impressive regular season finishes before atrocious goaltending befell him early this season. Not to mention, superstar forward and Oilers captain Connor McDavid was dealing with an injury around the same time.

This report from Dreger follows another report from Bruce Garrioch Sunday night which claimed the Devils held serious talks with former St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube, who was also dismissed from his post in the early months of this season.

Garrioch was spot-on in his report, which also claimed Devils interim head coach Travis Green was a frontrunner for the Ottawa Senators’ head coaching job. Green was hired by the Sens on Tuesday.

In addition, Garrioch believes the Devils have met with former Los Angeles Kings coach Todd McLellan, who if you would believe it, was fired this season as well.

Berube, McLellan, and Woodcroft all hail from the NHL’s Western Conference, and it’s currently unclear which other candidates the Devils are considering for their head coach vacancy at this time.

TSN NHL insider Pierre LeBrun also reported earlier on Tuesday that the Devils “hope” to name a new head coach within the next 7-10 days, which likely means the coach they will hire is already available. This would likely rule out coaches such as Toronto’s Sheldon Keefe and Pittsburgh’s Mike Sullivan, dousing the fire on those rumors.