TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger reports that the New Jersey Devils are in discussions with several candidates for their vacant head coach position, including former Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft.
Woodcroft, 47, led the Oilers for parts of three seasons, amassing a regular season record of 79-41-3 and a playoff record of 14-14. He was dismissed on Nov. 12 after the Oilers struggled with a 3-9-1 start to the 2023-24 season.
The Oilers rallied under new head coach Kris Knoblauch, finishing second in the Pacific Division with a 46-18-5 run.
Woodcroft is considered one of the leading candidates for the Devils’ head coaching role. Despite facing challenges such as poor goaltending and an injury to superstar forward Connor McDavid, he achieved impressive regular season results with the Oilers.
Dreger’s report follows another from Bruce Garrioch, who claimed the Devils held serious talks with former St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube, recently relieved of his duties earlier this season.
Garrioch’s report also mentioned Devils interim head coach Travis Green as a frontrunner for the Ottawa Senators’ head coaching job, a role he was hired for on Tuesday.
Additionally, Garrioch believes the Devils have met with former Los Angeles Kings coach Todd McLellan, who was also fired this season.
Berube, McLellan, and Woodcroft all have Western Conference NHL backgrounds, though it’s unclear which other candidates the Devils are considering for the vacancy.
Pierre LeBrun, another TSN NHL insider, reported earlier on Tuesday that the Devils “hope” to name a new head coach within the next 7-10 days, suggesting the chosen coach is likely available already. This would seemingly rule out rumors involving coaches such as Toronto’s Sheldon Keefe and Pittsburgh’s Mike Sullivan.
