Knoblauch Deserves Far Better Treatment From the Oilers

If you don’t win, it must be the coach’s fault. That seems to be the mantra from Edmonton Oilers management, and this isn’t just in reference to general manager (GM) Stan Bowman. The Oilers have run through coaches at such a rapid rate that some fans who don’t pay attention to the team as closely may have a hard time keeping track. Barring a complete change in heart, another change is on the horizon.

On Monday morning, it was reported by NHL insider Frank Seravalli that the Oilers attempted to reach out to former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy in hopes of hiring him. It’s news that would excite many, as Cassidy is widely regarded as one of the better coaches in all of the NHL. The manner the Oilers went about it, however, is rubbing many the wrong way.

This report from Seravalli came while Kris Knoblauch is still currently employed as the head coach of the Oilers. Most felt that he would be fired this offseason, but that has yet to happen. Instead, he’s sitting in limbo knowing that his job is seemingly gone, despite the fact that he hasn’t yet been fired. It’s a situation that should have been handled much better from Bowman and the rest of the Oilers management regime.

Since Servalli’s report, many credible Oilers reporters, including Sportsnet’s Marc Spector, seem to believe that Knoblauch will be fired, though as of Wednesday morning, he still remains employed. It’s a very bizarre situation which should come to a head in the coming days.

Knoblauch Had Incredibly Successful Run in Edmonton

Regardless of success, no NHL team should treat their head coach how the Oilers have treated Knoblauch. Making matters even worse is that the 47-year-old helped lead this team to a level of success the fan base hadn’t seen in nearly two decades.

The Oilers hired Knoblauch early into the 2023-24 season, at a time where their record was a disastrous 3-9-1. After the coaching change, they went 46-18-5 the rest of the way. That hot stretch of play continued into the playoffs, where the Oilers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006.

Though the Oilers fell short, seemingly everybody was happy with the work Knoblauch had done. The excitement from the fan base only increased further the following season, as Knoblauch led the Oilers to a 48-9-5 record, before once again helping bring them back to the Stanley Cup Final for the second-straight year. The final result didn’t go their way once again, but you’d have been hard-pressed to find an Oilers fan who wasn’t impressed with the job Knoblauch had done.

The 2025-26 season is where things changed. The Oilers were a far worse team on paper, but Knoblauch was also far from his best. He never seemed to leave line combinations together long enough to find any sort of chemistry, and it was apparent each and every time his team hit the ice. They wound up limping into the playoffs with a 41-30-11 record before being upset in the first round by the Anaheim Ducks.

Many do believe that firing Knoblauch is the right decision. As the saying goes, it’s easier to fire a head coach than an entire roster. That said, there has to come a time where the organization realizes it’s not just a coaching issue in Edmonton. If it was, things would have been turned around a long time ago.

Oilers Going Through Coaches at Absurd Rate

The best example of how many coaches the Oilers have gone through comes when looking at the career of their longest-tenured player, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The 33-year-old, whose rookie season came in 2011-12, has already had nine head coaches in his career; Tom Renney, Ralph Krueger, Dallas Eakins, Todd Nelson, Todd McLellan, Ken Hitchcock, Dave Tippett, Jay Woodcroft, and Knoblauch. Assuming Knoblauch does indeed get fired, Nugent-Hopkins will play for the tenth coach of his NHL career.

As for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they have already played for five coaches at the NHL level. That’s quite shocking given that McDavid just wrapped up his 11th season in the league. Coaches certainly don’t have the leash they had years ago, but it’s still baffling just how many Edmonton has gone through over the years.

While Knoblauch being fired may be the right decision to some, it’s blatantly apparent that far more changes are needed with this organization if they hope to not only get back to the Cup Final, but win it all. It’s hard to trust that management will make the proper decisions to make that happen given how they are currently treating Knoblauch after a great three-year stretch.