New Jersey Devils: 3 Lessons To Learn From Edmonton Oilers
By Nick Villano
Lesson #3: Don’t Wait Too Long
The Edmonton Oilers announced they were moving on from head coach Jay Woodcroft and hired AHL coach Kris Knoblach. Now, Knoblach has to save the Oilers. It’s early enough to save the season. The St. Louis Blues proved that in 2019, but they may have still waited too long as the hole is huge.
We’re still waiting on the results of the Oilers-Islanders matchup and Knoblach’s debut (game is still going as of this writing but Edmonton is up 3-1), but the Oilers are still at the bottom of the NHL Standings. The win would give the Oilers nine points, making them one of two teams in the NHL without double-digit points.
The Devils are dealing with a lot of questions. They’ve let the Brendan Smith-Luke Hughes experiment go on for too long. The same goes for John Marino and Kevin Bahl. The penalty kill took too long to make changes.
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We’re not advocating for a coaching change. It’s way too early to be talking about that. However, the Devils need to make quick decisions, from the coaching staff to the players to the front office. If a decision must be made, make it. Don’t hesitate. For now, let’s hope the Devils don’t hesitate to get back to the winning ways.