How long have the Edmonton Oilers been doing the same thing with no better results? Ken Holland as general manager (GM) and Jay Woodcroft as the head coach was expected to be a great combo that would help lead the Oilers to the promised land. Well, there have been mistakes from both recently.
While the Oilers have gotten off to a horrible 2-8-1 start to the 2023-24 season, and there is a ton of blame being thrown around, some of it does have to fall on the management. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t only include Holland and Woodcroft. Sure, the players and goaltending can be better, but how a team is assembled and who plays where and when is out of the players’ hands. I would like to also add a third managerial name in the mix, and that’s goaltending coach Dustin Schwartz. Somehow, he has survived so many coaches and has made his mark on so many of the Oilers’ goalies who have performed better elsewhere.
Players can be moved, but it’s not easy and goes through the GM Holland. It may have to start at the top for the Oilers right now. Let’s dive into each and the case to be made for and against keeping their jobs.
Ken Holland’s Damage to the Oilers
I will start by saying that Holland has made some good moves for the Oilers, but at this point, those moves are vastly being overshadowed by the bad moves made. While I fully believe that it was more of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins being a team-first kind of player that he signed for cheap, Holland did get it done. He brought in Zach Hyman and Evander Kane, but now let’s get to the failures that have gone on long enough.
The big two are bringing in Jack Campbell on a five-year, $5 million AAV deal and bridging Darnell Nurse for a second time before signing him long-term. This right there eats up what could have been at least $7 million AAV spent elsewhere to make this team whole. The big change from last season to this one in the offseason was bringing in Connor Brown and expecting the problems to resolve themselves on the ice. With no cap space that Holland created, the Oilers continue to run short on the roster and can’t add anyone else.
Then there is the lack of trades or moves. With the pairing of Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci not working well over the past year and a bit, more changes than just different pairing has to be made since there aren’t many options for Woodcroft to work with. With how bad the goaltending has done, that is not on Woodcroft. Holland made this mess and has refused to make any alterations this season. The team rode out the entire 2022-23 season with Campbell struggling, and he’s doing so again. A team isn’t successful if they have to be expected to score at least five goals a night to even come close to winning. It is on him and him alone to make the necessary move to get someone who can make a save.
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While Holland has made a lot of poor decisions, bringing up Sam Gagner and Raphael Lavoie isn’t one of them. This may have bought him a little bit of time, but nobody can expect the Oilers to start winning because of these two players this season. It boils down to the moves, or lack thereof, from Holland in the immediate future.
Coaching Changes Often Spark Team
Whether it was Woodcroft’s decision or a mutual agreement within the organization to try out a new way of defending in their zone, it failed miserably for the Oilers. This was a part of the horrible start before the team went back to defending how they did in the past under Woodcroft.
Despite criticism towards Woodcroft, and there is some I’ll get into, he has proven himself within the Oilers’ organization and in the NHL. Including a 2-8-1 record this season, the Oilers have a .645 win percentage since he took over as head coach. He knows what he is doing and I think it is past due the Oilers give a coach who has had success time to figure things out and help turn things around. While coaching changes often spark new life into a group, that isn’t always the case and no player is likely blaming Woodcroft for the team’s record.
The criticism came with lineup decisions starting in the 2023 Playoffs. While Campbell showed absolutely nothing to give the coaching staff confidence that he should start a game in the playoffs, the postseason is a different challenge than the regular season. Stuart Skinner had a lot of pressure put on him that he shouldn’t have had. It got to him in the playoffs, and he was pulled four times. In my opinion, you still start Skinner after being pulled twice, but when it gets to three and four, you have to try the other goalie. Campbell did prove that he could shut the door in the playoffs but was never given the chance to start and prove it when the Oilers were down and almost out.
Another issue I have is the usage of certain players. Yes, the top-six carries the Oilers offensively despite some struggles this season, but players who have played hard, like Dylan Holloway and Ryan McLeod are limited in their ice time undeservedly. There have been a ton of lineup changes already. Spreading out the scoring to give the Oilers a better chance to score every shift rather than loading up 1-2 lines makes more sense if those 1-2 lines aren’t going to produce at a high level anyway. With new coaches comes opportunity, especially for players who haven’t gotten one under the old regime. It might mean new life for the Oilers, but from what I’ve watched, they have tons of life. Mistakes are what is costing them despite the effort.
The goalies have to be held responsible for not stopping pucks. As for poor backchecking, there’s only a certain amount that Woodcroft and the coaching staff can do, especially with only 11-12 forwards and six defensemen on the roster. It is tough to hold players accountable when the options set forth by Holland are very limited.
Goaltending Needs a New Coach & Verdict
Starting all the way back with Ben Scrivens and continuing through this season, Schwartz has had his hands all over the decline of the Oilers’ goaltending. For the most part, the many goaltenders that have passed through Edmonton have done better before joining the team, declined throughout their tenure, and then put up better numbers after. The only goalies that wasn’t true for were Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen. Both were veterans who had been around, and it is likely much of what was said to them went in one ear and out the other if it didn’t work.
Related: Oilers’ Tough Start Not Entirely Consumed by Bad Luck
A goaltending coaching change is long overdue, but how can we expect that area of the organization to change if it hasn’t for many years despite the failures. I back Woodcroft and understand what is out of his control. He can only make decisions with what he has to work with, and there’s only so much he can do from the bench. The next big change has to be moving on from Holland. He started this mess and hasn’t done much to change it. He also doesn’t seem to have the backbone to make the tough calls like sending Campbell down or changing goaltending coaches. The path the Oilers are on can’t continue despite the strong analytics shown by all of the players. They aren’t getting results, and results are what matters.
