Confirmed with Link: Jay Woodcroft and Dave Manson fired - no more Woody during NNN - Kris Knoblauch hired, Coffey as assistant

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Still incredible the difference this has made for this group

 

[guymez]

Still incredible the difference this has made for this group

Knoblauch is 44-19 since his frist win against the Islanders.
Thats a 70% winning percentage in 63 games.
Over an 82 game schedule that would mean 115 points.

The Oilers have had 2 seasons in their history where they fininshed at or above 115 points.
Those were 1983/84 and 1985/86. There was an 80 game schedule back then but still...what they have accomplished under Knoblauch is pretty impressive.

 

[HockeyGuy1964]

If you say so. Stat models aren't everything of course.

I think Knoblach and especially Coffey have done a better job than their predecessors. I also think that Woodcroft's Oilers were very. very clearly not a bottom 2 team in the NHL and that there are a lot of posters on this board who for whatever reason are unwilling to accept that a lot of the teams turnaround has to do with Skinner's improved play.

Yeah, I posted all the numbers in a couple different threads & nobody wants to admit it because it goes against the narrative they want.

 

[Zerotonine]

Knoblauch is 44-19 since his frist win against the Islanders.
Thats a 70% winning percentage in 63 games.
Over an 82 game schedule that would mean 115 points.

The Oilers have had 2 seasons in their history where they fininshed at or above 115 points.
Those were 1983/84 and 1985/86. There was an 80 game schedule back then but still...what they have accomplished under Knoblauch is pretty impressive.

Didn't they do the same under Woody the season he took over?

It's also been super quite on the woody front since his dismissal......

 

[guymez]

Didn't they do the same under Woody the season he took over?

It's also been super quite on the woody front since his dismissal......

It was a pretty good record under Woody as well but the playoffs were a big disappointment.
Woody was clearly out coached IMO.

We will get an even better sense of Knoblauch as a coach once the playoffs start.

 

[TKB21]

Does anyone have the defensive metrics between this years oilers and last years under woody/manson? Seems like we allow far fewer shots this year and not as many grade A chances.

 

[CycloneSweep]

There are quite a few differences between Knoblauch and Woody but for me the most obvious difference invloves the in game adjustments.
Knoblauch has a much better feel for the games than Woody did and he seems to be much more adpet at making the necessary correct adjustments.

Ultimately though I completely disagree regarding the coaching change not doing much.
The proof is in the record and there was precious little indication that the players were going to turn things around with Woody at the helm.

Now we shall see what Knoblauch is able to extract from this lineup in the playoffs.
I am expecting a lot.

Woody was doing the same thing for his tenure up until this year. Saying otherwise is revisionist history.

There was tons of indication analytically that things would probably turn around.

I am expecting little from Knoblauch in the playoffs. He is a rookie NHL coach that will be coaching against a ton of potential very veteran and experienced coaches.

 

[CycloneSweep]

Does anyone have the defensive metrics between this years oilers and last years under woody/manson? Seems like we allow far fewer shots this year and not as many grade A chances.

Only fair to judge the team since Ekholm, so last year from Ekholm on…the team was…
CA/60 57.18 5th
SA/60 29.53 15th
GA/60 2.34 11th
xGA/60 2.53 12th
SCA/60 26.66 10th
HDCA/60 10.78 10th

Vs since Knob took over
CA/60 53.97 4th
SA/60 27.05 7th
GA/60 2.13 6th
xGA/60 2.43 9th
SCA/60 25.98 10th
HDCA/60 10.53 8th

So definitely an improvement but not some night and day difference.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Only fair to judge the team since Ekholm, so last year from Ekholm on…
CA/60 57.18 5th
SA/60 29.53 15th
GA/60 2.34 11th
xGA/60 2.53 12th
SCA/60 26.66 10th
HDCA/60 10.78 10th

Vs since Knob took over
CA/60 53.97 4th
SA/60 27.05 7th
GA/60 2.13 6th
xGA/60 2.43 9th
SCA/60 25.98 10th
HDCA/60 10.53 8th

So definitely an improvement but not some night and day difference.

??? Is that the whole team?

 

[CycloneSweep]

??? Is that the whole team?

Yes. Thats the team stats first is from the Ekholm trade till the end of the year. Second is team stats under Knoblauch.

 

[guymez]

Woody was doing the same thing for his tenure up until this year. Saying otherwise is revisionist history.

There was tons of indication analytically that things would probably turn around.

I am expecting little from Knoblauch in the playoffs. He is a rookie NHL coach that will be coaching against a ton of potential very veteran and experienced coaches.

We are just going to have to disagree.
A lot of the anayltics being thrown around in here painted an incomplete picture.
They were completey lacking in terms of explaining the teams woes in the first part of the season...hardly definitive.

 

[Spawn]

It was a pretty good record under Woody as well but the playoffs were a big disappointment.
Woody was clearly out coached IMO.

We will get an even better sense of Knoblauch as a coach once the playoffs start.

Woody had a .724 sv% when he took over and the team made it to the conference finals that first year, including a playoff win in the Battle of Alberta. Getting swept by the Avalanche in the conference finals sucked but I'm not sure you could call that first playoffs a big disappointment. It was a big step forward towards the Oilers looking like a genuine cup contender. He accomplished more than McLellan or Tippet did.

 

[tiger_80]

Knob and Woody. You can't make this up.

 

[JordanGalhanth]

Woody had a .724 sv% when he took over and the team made it to the conference finals that first year, including a playoff win in the Battle of Alberta. Getting swept by the Avalanche in the conference finals sucked but I'm not sure you could call that first playoffs a big disappointment. It was a big step forward towards the Oilers looking like a genuine cup contender. He accomplished more than McLellan or Tippet did.

Honestly, if Woody had just kept things more simple, more focused, and more adaptable, he'd probably still be here IMO. But I wonder if some of the success went to his head early (not to mention the powerplay masking a lot of deficiencies).

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Knob and Woody. You can't make this up.

Knob, Woody, Tipp, and the Cock.

Our next coach will probably be Babcock, or Luke Richardson.

 

[tiger_80]

Knob, Woody, Tipp, and the Cock.

Our next coach will probably be Babcock, or Luke Richardson.

Babcock sounds too folksy (Leafsy). Richardson, on the other hand, is the name suited for the team representing the City of Champions.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Babcock sounds too folksy (Leafsy). Richardson, on the other hand, is the name suited for the team representing the City of Champions.

 

[guymez]

Woody had a .724 sv% when he took over and the team made it to the conference finals that first year, including a playoff win in the Battle of Alberta. Getting swept by the Avalanche in the conference finals sucked but I'm not sure you could call that first playoffs a big disappointment. It was a big step forward towards the Oilers looking like a genuine cup contender. He accomplished more than McLellan or Tippet did.

I agree...the first playoffs werent a disappointment at all.
The 2nd playoffs were a big disapppintment IMO just due to how they lost. Woody was out coached.
His system was not only exposed but his inability to make the appropriate adjustments was exposed as well. It was clear that when the competition was distilled down that Woody just wasnt going to be able to get this team where it wanted to go.
The coaching change IMO was needed.

 

[fuswald]

Woody was doing the same thing for his tenure up until this year. Saying otherwise is revisionist history.

There was tons of indication analytically that things would probably turn around.

I am expecting little from Knoblauch in the playoffs. He is a rookie NHL coach that will be coaching against a ton of potential very veteran and experienced coaches.

I agree with this. He hasn't used time outs or goalie changes much if at all this year for example. These are tools he has at hand.

That said he will coach well enough as this team is aces with his coaching.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

Woody was doing the same thing for his tenure up until this year. Saying otherwise is revisionist history.

There was tons of indication analytically that things would probably turn around.

I am expecting little from Knoblauch in the playoffs. He is a rookie NHL coach that will be coaching against a ton of potential very veteran and experienced coaches.

Interesting how with you it goes from they aren’t turning it around to obviously they were going to turn it around… look at the analytics.

 

[CycloneSweep]

Interesting how with you it goes from they aren’t turning it around to obviously they were going to turn it around… look at the analytics.

I figured the team mentally was broken and was going to start playing bad analytically as well.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

I figured the team mentally was broken and was going to start playing bad analytically as well.

Maybe they were and Knob changed that.

 

[Spawn]

I agree...the first playoffs werent a disappointment at all.
The 2nd playoffs were a big disapppintment IMO just due to how they lost. Woody was out coached.
His system was not only exposed but his inability to make the appropriate adjustments was exposed as well. It was clear that when the competition was distilled down that Woody just wasnt going to be able to get this team where it wanted to go.
The coaching change IMO was needed.

Don’t disagree

 

[Shanahanigans]

Only fair to judge the team since Ekholm, so last year from Ekholm on…the team was…
CA/60 57.18 5th
SA/60 29.53 15th
GA/60 2.34 11th
xGA/60 2.53 12th
SCA/60 26.66 10th
HDCA/60 10.78 10th

Vs since Knob took over
CA/60 53.97 4th
SA/60 27.05 7th
GA/60 2.13 6th
xGA/60 2.43 9th
SCA/60 25.98 10th
HDCA/60 10.53 8th

So definitely an improvement but not some night and day difference.

IIRC, the Oilers went from 31st in rush chances against at the beginning of the season, to top 3 under Knoblauch. So yes they've been similar overall, but Woodcroft's new system, combined with atrocious goaltending at the beginning of the year really messed them up. Also, I'm sure Manson is a great guy but I much prefer Coffey's "always make plays" style. Huge improvement in that regard.

 

[Oilslick941611]

And in other news--the Doobie Brothers broke up--did you hear that one too?

I also just saw that John Lennon assassinated