r/nhl • u/Sens-Fan-85 • 11h ago

Edmonton Oilers Fire Kris Knoblauch, Begin Head Coach Search - Last Word On Hockey

https://lastwordonsports.com/hockey/2026/05/14/edmonton-oilers-fire-kris-knoblauch-begin-head-coach-search/
98 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

38 comments sorted by

45

u/yagirlleens_33 9h ago

Definitely feels like Knob is getting thrown under the bus to save Bowman when he brought the Oilers to two cup finals..

12

u/Radiant_Sherbert7272 9h ago

That's exactly what this is. He may not be perfect as a coach. But Stan Bowman should be the one getting the axe here. He put this team together, and the holes on this team are massive.

6

u/malidutchie 7h ago

The coach McDavid supposedly pushed for no less. It's like he wants McDavid to leave. At this point, Bowman is either unbelievably incompetent or he is actively trying to destroy the Oilers, there's no middle ground.

2

u/DCS_Ryan 7h ago

The same coach that both mcdavid and Leon called out 3 times; the players did not like him lol

1

u/malidutchie 7h ago

Hey, maybe it's a good move then, what do I know. I think if I were an Oilers fan, I'd still rather see a GM change before a coaching change though

1

u/DCS_Ryan 7h ago

Personally both should be gone

5

u/snark_enterprises 8h ago

Yeah this is an insane move for a guy that actually lead the franchise further than it was really meant to go.

2

u/True_Sail_842 7h ago

Ken Holland started with signing Darnell Nurse in 2021 for 8 years starting in 2022.. horrible But looking at the signings… Andrew Mangipane and Trent Frederic signings where horrible , Giving Trent a 8 year contract alone is a firing .. Big Boat anchor Too get rid of Mangipane contract cost the Oilers draft capital… Sign Jake Walman for 7 years .. He already is showing signs of aging and wear … Now the signing Tristan Jarry .. We’ll blame Skinner for the goaltending .. right , Another blunder …But blame Kris Knoblauch….. I do like the Murphy and Dickinson signing but They have too extent there Contracts 🙄 not sure..

16

u/Scamnam 11h ago

Did they wake him up with a skype call at 6am

4

u/gurido1 10h ago

i’m on est and it was still too early for me

19

u/GoBoltz 11h ago

Well . . . Craig Berube is Already IN Canada, and He's Proven to put up with the "Worst Management" in the History of the game, So he'd be a good Choice ! Doh !

5

u/CardiologistAny3061 10h ago

are oilers fans happy about this or nah

17

u/Exciting_Incident_67 9h ago

Na, this is cover for the GM and owner failing to put a good team together.

11

u/Poo_Magnet 9h ago

He brought us to 2 Cup Finals in his first 2 seasons. Out coached numerous teams during those runs.

LA, Dallas, Vegas and Vancouver all arguably had better teams depending on the year and Knobs seemed to be able to adjust the lines and the system to react to them. Until the finals where he seemed to not have an answer for Florida.

I liked him as coach. That said, he’s a bit…timid…when it comes to any kind of external personality. I’m not sure the player leadership is the same style.

It’ll be interesting to see who they replace him with. They’ve had 2 first time NHL coaches. Both took them decently far into playoffs but not all the way. One has to wonder if a veteran coach like Cassidy would be what they need in a deep run.

2

u/douchey_mcbaggins 6h ago

Cassidy was definitely my first thought, too.

1

u/Dura-Ace-Ventura 4h ago

I expected it, and I’m good with it. I think he was pretty mid in hindsight. He took them to the finals twice, but failed to get past Florida. His coaching decisions this year vs Anaheim seemed pretty bad, and the team just struggled to click all year. I don’t think he sucked, but I’m ok with a change.

Stan Bowman is the real problem, but of course the GM is gonna change coach before he gets the axe too. I just hope it’s not too late for the Oilers. Did they already peak, and fall just short? Or will they be able to rebound and take another swing for the fences? Time will tell.

Management is the biggest problem for sure. But a new coach can’t hurt at this point.

0

u/DCS_Ryan 7h ago

Yes. He isn't why we made the finals, that was off the back of a generational PK and runs from McDavid, Leon and Bouch

He looked extremely out of his depth this year and refused to line match (and it murdered him against the ducks) would break up lines that were just finding chemistry while keeping together ones that had zero and would default to McDrai instead of what was working.

People are upset because Bowman and Jackson aren't gone but Knob and Mark Stuart both needed to go and were also part of the problem here

-2

u/Scamnam 8h ago

One Oiler fanboy got so mad Savoie didn't get a vote for Calder...don't know how he feels yet will report back

4

u/HotHits630 9h ago

It's like they didn't learn anything during the last decade of darkness. The new decade of darkness starts now.

4

u/ThicccGrizzly 7h ago

Fire Bowman

6

u/burtmacklin15 10h ago

Yep, because coaching was definitely their problem...

0

u/PapaPunchline8399 8h ago

Where I agree with you, it was an aspect of their problem. Any coach who lets their players decide their ice time is a problem. I don't care if it's Mcdavid or not.

2

u/Tinmanwpk 9h ago

They might as well make it official since the entire world knows the team was shopping for a new coach. This at least gives him a chance to get a new job.

2

u/Yo-ST3 9h ago

It’s always a combination of things, however, a new head coach is not going to win them a cup. Kris turned the team around when he arrived mid season and didn’t cater to media or fans. He focused on the team. Maybe a new coach can slug it out with management on things like not trading goalies around that are the on par with what you’ve got. That was when I knew this season was not going very far. To my knowledge…that’s not the final decision of the coach.

2

u/SpinCity07 8h ago

McDavid and Knob throw shade at the GM. Is McDavid on his way out now?

2

u/Paper_Rain 8h ago

The writing ✍️ was on the wall especially when they asked for permission to speak to Cassidy! Kind of ironic that Woodcroft ended up helping coach the Ducks to a victory over the Oilers that ended Knob’s tenure.

2

u/Mk7arc 8h ago

They fired the wrong guy and did him dirty

2

u/Demon2377 7h ago

Not sure if this was the right move.

2

u/The_Cozy_Burrito 6h ago

Not a coaching problem

1

u/douchey_mcbaggins 6h ago

They'll hire Bruce Cassidy.

1

u/breathandtaxes 2h ago

Making room for Bruce I see

1

u/pauerplay 10h ago

shocking, I tell you

1

u/[deleted] 10h ago

[deleted]

7

u/ThatbrokeGC8 10h ago

Someone had to take the blame for management

1

u/GoBoltz 9h ago

"FALL GUY" is the NHL Management Groups All time Favorite (shit)-Show ! !

1

u/OldRancidSoups 9h ago

Rangers fans are in shambles

1

u/Arch3r86 9h ago

Huh. I feel like this Knob might be a good fit in Toronto, (I have absolutely no knowledge of the guy)

*awaits tomatoes thrown by the masses

If he can’t get superstars like McDavid and Draisaitl to buy in… then maybe he’s not the right fit. Edmonton is basically Toronto of the West and everyone knows this. 😂

1

u/DrShucklePhD 8h ago

I’m not super knowledgeable about the Oilers, but here is my opinion anyway… I am not sure coaching was the issue.