Top 5 prospective Edmonton Oilers head coaches to replace Jay Woodcroft ft. Joel Quenneville

The Edmonton Oilers are off to a 1-4-1 start and with Connor McDavid out for two weeks, many have wondered what the future holds for head coach Jay Woodcroft.

The Oilers entered this season as one of the Stanley Cup favorites, but through six games, they are already digging themselves a hole. Woodcroft has been under scrutiny and many have wondered if he would be fired, despite signing a three-year extension in 2022.

Yet, if Edmonton fires Jay Woodcroft, here are five potential replacements.

Top 5 coaches to replace Jay Woodcroft

#1. Joel Quenneville

Joel Quenneville is second in wins as a coach in the NHL at 969. He also led the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups.

However, Quenneville has been out of the NHL since the 2021-22 season, when he resigned as head coach of the Florida Panthers just seven games into the season. He resigned due to the investigation into how the Blackhawks handled the Kyle Beach situation, as Quenneville was the team's head coach.

As of right now, the NHL hasn't reinstated Quenneville, but all signs point to that happening soon. If he can come back, Quenneville has a history of winning that could be in the Oilers locker room.

#2. Jeff Halpern

Jeff Halpern is an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning and has been linked to head coaching roles recently.

Halpern played 15 seasons in the NHL and became an assistant coach with Tampa Bay in 2018. He has been a crucial part of Jon Cooper's bench and has won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning. He has been working with the Lightning's forwards group which is a key reason for their success.

#3. Jay Leach

Jay Leach is an assistant with the Kraken

Jay Leach is an assistant coach for the Seattle Kraken and is in line to be a head coach in the NHL.

Leach joined the Kraken's staff in 2021 for the inaugural season and was involved in some interviews for head coaching jobs this summer. He has been respected in the league for years and would be a first-time head coach for Edmonton.

#4. Glen Gulutzan

If the Edmonton Oilers look within their organization to replace Jay Woodcroft, assistant coach Glen Gulutzan makes sense to be the new head coach.

Gulutzan has been the head coach of the Dallas Stars for two seasons and the Calgary Flames for two seasons, so he has experience in the role. He's also been with the Oilers since the 2018-19 season, so he's familiar with the club and should get a look.

#5. Marco Sturm

Longtime NHL'er Marco Strum has been talked about as a future head coach for years now.

Sturm retired from hockey in 2014 and became general manager and head coach of the German National Team in 2015. He helped lead the country to an Olympic silver medal in 2018 and has been hailed as the reason why Germany has turned around their National program.

Sturm is currently the head coach of the Ontario Reign, which is the Los Angeles Kings' AHL affiliate. He likely will get a look at a head coaching job this summer, and working with countryman Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers is a good fit.