Edmonton Oilers players seemed genuinely surprised about Sunday’s coaching change.
“Didn’t see it coming. I loved playing for Woody, loved playing for Manse. Two unbelievable coaches,” said captain Connor McDavid Monday morning.
Head coach Jay Woodcroft was fired and replaced by Kris Knoblauch. Assistant coach Dave Manson was also let go and replaced by Paul Coffey.
“It’s a tough day. Those are never fun. Two incredible coaches that have really had nothing but success here,” observed Leon Draisaitl.
“I don’t think anyone saw it coming from our perspective,” said defenceman Darnell Nurse. “We put together the record and the way we played at the beginning of the year, you put good hockey people and smart hockey coaches in jeopardy. That’s on us.”
Despite beating Seattle 4-1 Saturday night, the Oilers are 3-9-1 and sitting in 31st place in the standings in the 32-team NHL.
“Our play hasn’t been good enough. I’m first on the list there,” said McDavid.
“The characters and the faces in this room haven’t changed. We have to continue to realize that and continue to work,” added Nurse.
Knoblauch will coach his first NHL game Monday night when the Oilers host the New York Islanders (630 CHED, Face-off Show at 5 p.m., game at 6:30 p.m.). He’s watched several Oilers games and feels the players look like they’re under pressure and frustrated.
“The passion is there. The work ethic is there. But I think there’s a frustration of ‘I gotta make it happen this shift.’ What happens is mistakes are piling up that way,” said Knoblauch.