After just 13 games played by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2023-24 season, the team has fired Jay Woodcroft and hired Kris Knoblauch. This comes after the team started 3-9-1, but the decision seemed to be made before the Oilers’ last win against the Seattle Kraken on Nov. 11.
The Oilers played hard for their coach and his job, but ultimately, losing to possibly the worst team in the modern era in the San Jose Sharks was the last straw. Woodcroft seemed like a scapegoat for a much bigger problem as he was one of the best coaches in the NHL since being hired during the 2021-22 season. His win percentage was .643 for the Oilers, which is about what they need to get back into the playoff picture by the end of the season. Dave Manson also joined Woodcroft as the other coach or member of management let go. Who survived, Glen Gulutzan (rightfully so), Dustin Schwartz (miraculously), and Ken Holland (of course).
Whether it was the right or wrong decision to fire Woodcroft at this time, Knoblauch is the new head coach and the Oilers have a job to do. As they played hard for their last head coach, they will have to play just as hard for their new one. A new voice brings new hope for some players as they may have a better opportunity to earn playing time and succeed (from “Edmonton Oilers gambling on rookie coach being an instant fix”, Edmonton Journal, Nov. 13, 2023). This might not have been available to them with a coach that has been around for a while and is more set in his ways. The Oilers are hoping the coaching carousel that we all thought would end with Woodcroft will finally end with Knoblauch. So let’s look at five players who will be positively impacted by the coaching change.
Dylan Holloway
There may be some altering of the lineup right away, or there might be a feeling-out process with Knoblauch. He hasn’t had time to get to know his team yet, so I can see him putting out the same lines as the Oilers won their last game with. That being said, Dylan Holloway has proven that he deserves top-six minutes this season. He finally got the chance at the very end of Woodcroft’s tenure, but I believe we can see him really take off this season now.
The 22-year-old has the 11th most ice time among forwards on the team this season, and players like Ryan McLeod, Connor Brown, Warren Foegele, Matthias Janmark, and Sam Gagner all have up to nearly four minutes more ice time per game. Holloway may be the youngest of the group, but Knoblauch came from the American Hockey League (AHL) and coached the Erie Otters back when Connor McDavid was in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He is very familiar with young players and how to get the most out of them. It is definitely not sticking them on the fourth line despite deserving more ice time. If there was one criticism towards Woodcroft, it was altering the lines for the worst and not rewarding better play. Holloway should see that right off the bat if Knoblauch did any research from the Oilers’ games this season.
Raphael Lavoie
Raphael Lavoie is in the same boat as Holloway, but just a year behind. He was finally given the opportunity to graduate to the NHL at the age of 23 after dominating the AHL for the last calendar year. The Oilers need goals, but arguably one of the best shooters on the team after his promotion is playing 7:47 a night, last on the team in four games.
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Lavoie is without a doubt a shooter and a scorer as he scored four goals in five games for the Bakersfield Condors this season and 25 goals in 61 games last season. Yet, he has just two shots and is playing fourth-line minutes right now. Sure, since being recalled, the Oilers have either been fighting back or in tight games, but the type of player he is isn’t going to succeed in the role he was in. There is space in the top-nine for Lavoie to at least get some looks, especially when the depth and the team in general are lacking scoring. This young winger is going to get a better look sooner rather than later.
Stuart Skinner
With Knoblauch coming in, the team is bound to put forward an even better effort than they have been. For the most part, it has been good, but there have been glaring mistakes that have cost the Oilers. I imagine the new head coach is going to get that cleaned up in front of the goalie the Oilers have put their trust in moving forward, Stuart Skinner.
Skinner has struggled this season, but had an impressive rookie season in the NHL in 2022-23. While acquiring a new goalie is out of Knoblauch’s hands, he can help change the system and get through to his players in a different way than Woodcroft could. While some of what Skinner should do the rest of the season will have to do with getting better results as the Oilers regress positively to the mean, the coaching staff knows what has to be cleaned up, and the defensive zone is high on that list.
Evan Bouchard
Knoblauch has a lot of experience with young players, so maybe he can help Evan Bouchard clean up his game more. A noticeably non-100 percent Matthias Ekholm can only do so much for Bouchard. Ekholm was great last season and it gave the young defenceman the confidence to get to a new level offensively, but the defence has to come around as well so he isn’t so much of a one-dimensional player.
Bouchard isn’t physical, but he does have the second-most blocked shots on the team. Along with Paul Coffey, who is likely taking more responsibility for the defensive side of the game moving forward, Knoblauch may be able to reach Bouchard on a different level and guide him to fewer avoidable mistakes and become a better defender as well. His offence is there and doesn’t need much work at all, but as a hopeful future number-one defenceman on the Oilers, he needs a better all-around game.
Ryan McLeod
McLeod is a young player who has struggled to produce offensively despite how good he looks on the ice. He possesses middle-six talent, but produces like a bottom-six player. I believe this is a reason why he hasn’t really gotten a shot in the top-six under Woodcroft until very recently when the lineup continued to change to find any success.
McLeod should be an option in the top-six more often than he has been so far. The expectation was that he could score 15 goals and at least 30 points in a full season, but the 24-year-old has just two assists in 13 games and nearly 15 minutes of ice time per game. He has the confidence with the puck and the speed to be a very good player. I envision Knoblauch knows and sees this as well and will give him a strong opportunity to get on the scoresheet more and help the Oilers out in this way.
Whether it be for better or for worse, there is change in Edmonton and all the players can do is play the game. Knoblauch should give a fair shot to the younger players that can definitely impact this Oilers team in a positive way. The hope is that they come through with any opportunity they get and the team gets back to playing like they can with the new coach bump.
