NHL Notebook: Jay Woodcroft interviews with Ducks as two other ex-Oilers coaches could land jobs

The list of coaching options is long, with Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli highlighting Thursday how “we’ve never seen a coaching carousel quite like this one.”

When it comes to Woodcroft, specifically, Seravalli wrote he is one coach who can relate to players on a young team.

“It will be a real shock if Woodcroft doesn’t get another crack during this coaching cycle. He makes the cut in this tier of coaches simply because of his record. If you lop off the 3-9-1 start that got him canned in Edmonton, his .683 points percentage is the third-highest in NHL history of any coach with at least one full year at the helm. He’s won at least one round in both of his playoff appearances and he did it in a red-hot Canadian market. And at 48, Woodcroft is the youngest guy in this tier, someone who can connect with and relate to the younger generation of today’s players.”

There’s two other ex-Oilers coaches Seravalli could see landing jobs: Dallas Eakins and Todd Nelson.

“Ever wonder what a coach might be able to do if given a competent roster? That’s the curiosity with Eakins. He inherited the Edmonton Oilers amid their decade of darkness. Then was handed the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks, where the purpose was to not win. So, judge him at his ugly record with a .410 winning percentage if you want. But in two AHL head coaching stints, his teams have won rounds in the playoffs every time they qualified, including losing in the Calder Cup Final. Eakins, 58, is current GM and head coach of Adler Mannheim in Germany.”

“It’s borderline bizarre that Nelson hasn’t landed a full-time NHL head coaching gig given his nearly unparalleled success at the AHL level. Since a 51-game run as Oilers interim coach in 2015, Nelson has won three Calder Cups – including one in Grand Rapids and two more back-to-back last year in Hershey. Yes, the Bears stock their AHL roster a little bit differently, but he’s also won two UHL titles. Nelson, 55, has also spent seven years as an NHL assistant. Maybe this is the year?”

Jets’ Scheifele out for Game 6 against Blues

The Winnipeg Jets will be without Mark Scheifele when they head south of the 49th parallel for the sixth game of their series against the St. Louis Blues.

Their first line centre was banged up in Game 5 of the series Wednesday after being involved in multiple collisions, including one in the first minutes of the game when he was hit hard by Brayden Schenn, and again in that period’s final minutes, when Radek Faksa lined him up.

Scheifele departed the game and wouldn’t return in the second or third.

Winnipeg won the game 5-3, securing a 3-2 series lead. Game 6 of the series is set for Friday night.

Other news and notes…

• In wake of the NHL sending their players to the 2026 Winter Olympics, commissioner Gary Bettman announced Tuesday the league would forego a formal All-Star Weekend next season, instead opting to hold a “kickoff” event before players head to Milan, Italy. The event will be held at UBS Arena, home of the Islanders, but Bettman said it wouldn’t be a hockey competition.
• Injury news has come the way of the Vegas Golden Knights, who with a 3-2 series lead of their own, will be without winger Pavel Dorofeyev Thursday night when they take on the Minnesota Wild. He’s considered day-to-day after leaving Game 5 late in the game.