All aboard the Jay Woodcroft train

The Devils have been linked to the head coach at the top of my wishlist.

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There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the New Jersey Devils as they continue their search for a new head coach.

They’ve been heavily linked to Craig Berube in recent weeks but, as I wrote Tuesday, I don’t think a marriage is likely between the two sides.

Whether Berube wishes to coach in his home country, land the biggest contract possible, or simply believes the Maple Leafs are closer to winning a Stanley Cup, Berube sure seems to have his eyes on the Leafs. And that’s fine! In fact, I hope that is the case.

That’s not so much a slight on Berube; I simply prefer some of the other available candidates in a loaded class for free-agent coaches.

At the top of the list for me is Jay Woodcroft, who the Devils have reportedly spoken to about their vacant head coaching position.

Woodcroft posted an impressive 79-41-13 record – and .643 points percentage – during his tenure with the Oilers. That’s very strong, especially considering the team started this season miserably due to the worst goaltending imaginable (yes, even worse than we saw in New Jersey) and weighed his numbers down.

He has a solid track record in the playoffs as well. He helped the Oilers win a couple of playoff series in 2021-22 before they eventually bowed out to the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final. The Avalanche, of course, went on to win the Cup.

Woodcroft also led the Oilers to a series win in 2022-23. They then lost in six games to the Vegas Golden Knights…who went on to win the Stanley Cup.

So, Woodcroft coached five series with the Oilers. They won three of them and lost to the eventual Stanley Cup winners in the two losses. There’s no shame in that.

Be it regular season or playoffs, Woodcroft helped the Oilers win a lot of games.

While Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were obviously instrumental in the success Woodcroft had, it’s not as if the team had a crappy process – offensively or defensively – and was bailed out by raw talent up top.