The Edmonton Oilers fired head coach Jay Woodcroft and assistant coach Dave Manson after starting the season 3-9-1, the club announced Sunday.
Kris Knoblauch is replacing Woodcroft in the lead role, and legendary former defenseman Paul Coffey will join Knoblauch as an assistant coach. Knoblauch was the bench boss for the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack and Connor McDavid's coach with the OHL's Erie Otters.
The Oilers entered Sunday sitting second-last in the NHL and lost to the 32nd-place San Jose Sharks on Thursday - the club's fourth consecutive defeat.
Edmonton defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-1 on Saturday night to snap the skid. The Oilers now sit 12 points behind third place in the Pacific Division and eight points back of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Woodcroft took over the Oilers' bench in February 2022 after the club dismissed Dave Tippett. Woodcroft guided the team to a 26-9-3 finish that season and advanced to the Western Conference Final, the furthest the club has gone in the McDavid era.
Edmonton racked up 109 points in 2022-23 before losing in the second round of the playoffs. The Oilers were a popular Stanley Cup pick this preseason after showing improved form under Woodcroft, but they haven't found their usual winning recipe.
The 2023-24 campaign was viewed as a particularly critical point of the Oilers' championship window, as McDavid and fellow superstar Leon Draisaitl are under contract for two and one more full seasons, respectively.
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