The Edmonton Oilers have offered head coach Jay Woodcroft a three-year contract extension as a reward for guiding the team to the Western Finals.
The Oilers turned things around after the arrival of the 45-year-old Torontonian.
The team went 26-9-3 with Woodcroft at the helm in the final 38 games of the season, second-best in the NHL in that span, and finished 2nd in the Pacific Division.
The Oilers eliminated the Los Angeles Kings in seven games in the playoffs, then edged their arch-rival Calgary Flames in five games to advance to the conference final. They were, however, swept away by the Colorado Avalanche.
It was the Oilers’ first appearance in the semis since reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in the 2005-06 season.
Woodcroft had served as the head coach of the Oilers’ AHL farm club, the Bakersfield Condors, since 2018 when he was promoted to head coach of the Oilers last February.
Prior to joining the Condors, he served as an assistant coach with the Oilers for three seasons and with the San Jose Sharks for seven seasons.
He also spent three seasons as a member of the Detroit Red Wings coaching staff, including the team’s Stanley Cup-winning campaign in 2008.
The Canadian Press
Source: Radio-Canada
