The last NHL season has barely ended but the teams are acting fast in order to prepare for 2025-2026. One of those teams is expected to bring a known face, one that coached Connor McDavid in the Edmonton Oilers back in the day. This franchise will also bring a Stanley Cup champion to boost their chances even further.
The team in question is the Anaheim Ducks. After firing Greg Cronin as head coach, they made the call to Joel Quenneville to take the reins of the team. Quenneville, who has won the Stanley Cup three times during his tenure in Chicago, will reportedly have Jay Woodcroft as an assistant.
“Sources say former Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft will be joining Joel Quenneville’s staff as an assistant with [the] Ducks,” Frank Seravalli of Daily FaceOff reported recently. “Likely to be announced July 1 after Woodcroft’s current deal in Edmonton expires.”
This is a chance of redemption
While Quenneville is back after three-year hiatus due to some controversies, Woodcroft is also in much need of redemption. His last spell as the Edmonton Oilers head coach was a bad one. He got fired 13 games into the season as he led Connor McDavid and company to a 3-9-1 record. He then spent a whole year out of the league until now.
Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft looks on during the second period of their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on November 6, 2023 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
This means both the new head coach and assistant of the Anaheim Ducks come with a chip on their shoulder. For different reasons, but both are in need of proving themselves to the league.
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New pair, new results is what the Ducks hope for
Quenneville and Woodcroft have never been a part of the same staff. However, the Ducks general manager, Pat Verbeek, is familiar with the former Edmonton coach. They spent the early days of their careers together on the Red Wings.
The Ducks are desperate to see results. A postseason run is all but imperative for them. Having Quenneville, a multi-time Stanley Cup winner, might be the spark the team needs to compete.
The moves are coming, as, after July 1st, the Ducks will have $36.9 million available to spend. The Western Conference is stacked, but with this new coaching staff and some good investments, Anaheim might be skating towards success.
