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NHL insider links Detroit Red Wings to old friend as potential new head coach

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Jack Sutherland
December 3, 2024  (9:42 PM)
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With so much chatter surrounding a potential replacement behind the Detroit Red Wings bench, could they look to a former friend to fill that role if a change in fact gets made?

As the Detroit Red Wings continue experiencing issues with consistency as well as a historically bad penalty killing unit, there's been plenty of chatter about GM Steve Yzerman considering a coaching change in order to give his team a jolt.

Could they turn toward a former friend that's familiar to Red Wings fans if they went that avenue?

Per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, he's heard the name Jay Woodcroft being floated as a possibility for the Red Wings to consider in addition to the smoke around Joel Quenneville.

He's in the final year of his contract, so the talk of a potential coaching change seems a lot more relevant and prevalent now in Detroit than it is in Manhattan with the Rangers.

Yes, there is speculation over Lalonde's future there, and is it a situation where they move him out and they move up associate coach Bob Boughner into an interim position?

Or do they look outside the organization? There was some chatter about Joel Quenneville, I'm not sure that's the direction they go. Jay Woodcroft's name has been brought up as a potential option as well, so they're going to evaluate that.

Jay Woodcroft began his coaching career with the Red Wings in 2005 as a video coach under Mike Babcock, and remained for three seasons.

After the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 2008, he departed the organization and joined former assistant Todd McClellan with the San Jose Sharks in the same role; he later followed McClellan to the Edmonton Oilers.

He was named head coach of the Oilers in 2023 after they parted ways with Dave Tippett, but he was let go after Edmonton began last year with a 3-9-1 record.

POLL

Should the Detroit Red Wings bring back Jay Woodcroft to the organization, this time as head coach?

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