Mailbag: Memorable Hall of Fame weekend; Oilers coaching change

The Controversy Surrounding Jay Woodcroft’s Firing

Twitter user @carter_macewen seems to think that the firing of Jay Woodcroft was premature and ill-advised. However, Woodcroft’s record since stepping onto the bench for the Edmonton Oilers has been incredible, with a .643 points percentage in the regular season, the best in Oilers history. Connor McDavid also vouched for Woodcroft, stating that the players enjoyed playing for him.

Despite Woodcroft’s success, the Oilers were struggling, and the pressure to perform at a higher level was too great. The team felt that a change was necessary for them to contend for the Stanley Cup, leading to Woodcroft and assistant Dave Manson taking the hit for their underperformance. The new coach, Kris Knoblauch, now has a big job ahead of him to address the team’s issues.

The Speculation Over Patrick Kane’s Return to the Rangers

There has been speculation about Patrick Kane returning to the New York Rangers, but many are skeptical about the idea. The Rangers would have to consider the cost of signing Kane and the impact it would have on their current depth chart. With younger right wings like Alexis Lafreniere performing well and integrating smoothly into the team, the Rangers may not see the need to bring in Kane.

Potential Changes in Overtime Rules

There is a growing concern among NHL general managers about the regrouping strategy used by attacking teams in overtime. They believe that this tactic is detracting from the excitement of 3-on-3 overtime. The GMs discussed different ideas for eliminating the regroup, but determining the consequence of disallowing it poses a challenge.

The Future of Shootouts in the NHL

As for the future of shootouts, it was not a topic of conversation at the GM meetings. However, there has been a significant decline in the number of games that have gone to a shootout since the introduction of the 3-on-3 overtime format in 2015-16. Therefore, it seems that the NHL may be moving away from reliance on shootouts as a tiebreaker in the future.