The Toronto Maple Leafs have been undergoing their ongoing search for their new head coach since he firing of Craig Berube just two weeks ago. With many potential strong candidates, the new Leafs management have been taking their time to carefully go over their options. One of those options will be due for an interview with Toronto this week in former Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft, as reported by NHL insider Frank Seravalli. So could Woodcroft turn out to be the Maple Leafs saviour going forward?
Can the former head coach of Connor McDavid and the Oilers be the Maple Leafs saviour?
As the former bench boss for superstar Connor McDavid and the Oilers, Woodcroft actually quite some success managing an offensively-driven team. With the 49-year-old former coach allowing McDavid to dazzle at will during his time with Edmonton, he led the Oilers to a superb 79-41-13 record overall during the regular season between 2022 and 2023. Woodcroft had taken over the Edmonton bench as the interim coach in February of 2022 when they fired Dave Tippett during a rough stretch in their schedule. Woodcroft would officially become the Oilers head coach after signing an extension following the season’s end. Had Edmonton not gotten off to a disastrous start to their 2023-24 campaign, he could very well still be their head coach as of today.
Nevertheless, the 49-year-old mastermind would lead Edmonton to two consecutive Stanley Cup Playoff berths, reaching all the way to the conference finals in 2022 and the second round in 2023. So technically, the Woodcroft-led Oilers team made it further into the playoffs in those two seasons than the Leafs have for the past two decades. More importantly, he was able to do it with the likes of Mikko Koskinen, an aging Mike Smith, a raw Stuart Skinner and a struggling Jack Campbell as their main goalies. At the same time, the Oilers had a defense led by the likes of Darnell Nurse, Tyson Barrie, Evan Bouchard and Cody Ceci.
If Woodcroft was able to bring out the best of the Oilers to win even with that group of goaltenders and defenders backing a prolific offense, he should be able to flourish in the Maple Leafs environment with their current mix of players. Not to mention that the Leafs are looking to make massive upgrades this offseason to bolster their roster even more to get themselves back into contending status.
Moreover, Woodcroft allowed the Oilers stars to flash their skills in taking over the ice, paving way to the greatest point totals of their careers by McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in 2022-23. Using that same mindset, it could potentially unleash the offensive onslaught by the likes of Auston Matthews and William Nylander on the Leafs, bringing the, back to prominence.
Therefore, it’s not always the most experienced coach that would work out best for a team, but instead one that is most compatible with the group of players on the roster. Not to mention a coach that could have the unique opportunity to lead in his hometown. With those key points in mind, Woodcroft would be the ideal fit for Toronto as a result.
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