MAJOR: Oilers Set To Move On From Goalie and Head Coach
The Edmonton Oilers are officially in full-blown panic mode. The team is in full disarray as they fell 5-2 to the Nashville predators, lowing their season record to a miserable 2-7-1. Now blame is starting to go around and there could be major consequences for particular individuals in the coming days.
Oilers Ready To Move On From Campbell
By far the biggest problem the Oilers have so far has been their goalie tandem. Both Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell have been awful, posting league-worst or nearly league-worst stats in basically every category that is important for goalies. Skinner at least is young and is coming off a season in which he was a Calder finalist. Perhaps he could still turn things around, if not this season, at some point in his career. The same cannot be said for Jack Campbell.
Sportsnet's Mark Spector released some very revealing information about the veteran goaltender in a piece this morning.
"No player has said it specifically, but this reporter senses that these professional players know what they see, and have turned the page on any hopes that Campbell can help an NHL team anymore."
Campbell has put his team in an extremely tough situation. He is signed for three more seasons after this one at a 5 million dollar cap hit. Contracts like that are extremely difficult to move when the player himself is performing at such a low level. Even a team like the San Jose Sharks, who have been historically bad, likely can't afford to take on Campbell's contract without a major sweetener or two thrown in and cap going the other way. It seems then that the Oilers are in a truly untenable situation with Campbell but he is not the only one who's job is on the line.
Woodcroft In The Hot Seat
Spector also dropped this hard dose of reality on Oilers fans this morning.
"A playoff miss is very much in the cards, and as such, everything is on the table in Edmonton. That includes firing head coach Jay Woodcroft, whose non-competitive, lackadaisical team looks exactly like the one that got Dave Tippett fired, and Todd McLellan before him."
Generally speaking, being a coach in the NHL is not exactly a job that comes with a lot of security. While the same candidates often bounce around the league without too many problems finding work, it is very easy for a general manager to fire his coaches when the team is underperforming. In fact, it is much easier to fire the coach than it is to make other major moves, such as trades, thanks to the hard-cap world the NHL lives in. As such, Woodcroft's seat is likely not just warm or hot, but its on fire and all Woodcroft has to put it out is the hope that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can score more goals than Stuart Skinner gives up. The Oilers next game is against Vancouver tomorrow night. It is safe to say that if the team loses that game, major moves will be made immediately.
| POLL | ||
5 NOVEMBRE | 653 ANSWERS MAJOR: Oilers Set To Move On From Goalie and Head Coach What should the Oilers do? | ||
| Fire Woodcroft | 89 | 13.6 % |
| Ditch Campbell somehow | 201 | 30.8 % |
| Get rid of both | 214 | 32.8 % |
| Blow the whole thing up | 149 | 22.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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