Laing on Air: Talking Jay Woodcroft, Kris Knoblauch, and what’s next for the Oilers

Happy Monday, pals.

Did get up to anything this weekend? My Saturday was nice and calm, but what a busy Sunday it was. No shortage of things to talk about, to say the least.

Earlier this morning I hopped on CBC Radio’s Edmonton AM with Mark Connolly to talk about what’s gone on with the Oilers this season, and what’s next. It’s hard to exactly pinpoint one single thing that led to the change, but as I divulged with Connolly, somebody had to pay the price for a 3-9-1 start — at least in the Oilers’ eyes.

The move as a whole has the fingerprints of Jeff Jackson all over it, and it’s inarguably the biggest move he has made as the Oilers’ CEO, a role he was appointed to in August. The process of hiring Jackson made sense then, and given he’s only had three or four months at the realm of this franchise, it’s impossible to evaluate him from this move alone.

As I later discussed on Pre-Gaming with Bordzy, the coaching decision feels lateral. What will be interesting, however, is how the team responds to the new voice, and to seeing Paul Coffey behind the bench. This could be a short-term move, but only time will tell.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.