The Edmonton Oilers officially relieved head coach Kris Knoblauch of his duties Thursday morning. There were reports that the Oilers made the decision on Wednesday but waited, as news came out of Toronto that the Maple Leafs had fired Craig Berube.
The Edmonton Oilers also recalled Kris Knoblauch for his coaching career.
You knew this was coming after the leak and you couldn't get the guy back even if you wanted to. It's a bad situation for everyone.
Keep in mind that Knoblauch's 3-year extension hasn't started yet #letsgooilers
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) May 14, 2026
Changes are coming to the Edmonton Oilers
That's right, Knobaluch has a three-year extension that hasn't started yet. He is still owed $.75 million over the life of the contract.
Knoblauch was entering the first year of a new three-year contract that paid him just north of £7.5m.
Excited to see what's next for him. It's a good candidate for any available space but it also has the potential to take a while to recharge.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) May 14, 2026
But this is the sports world we live in, where coaches are hired to be fired. GM Stan Bowman, who is also being evaluated, told the media at his year-end press conference that everyone is being evaluated. He would not commit to Knoblauch. Even Knoblauch knew it was a business, but he ran his program as if he were a coach.
The issue was that Bowman and the Oilers didn't want him as a coach and probably should have fired him sooner than they did. When it turned out that the Oilers wanted permission to speak with head coach Bruce Cassidy, and that permission was withheld from the Vegas Golden Knights, the only option was to leave Knoblauch. You couldn't bring him back. That variable would not work.
Where does the Bruce Cassidy Saga stand?
As Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman noted on his 32 Thoughts Podcast on Wednesday, now that everyone knows the Oilers were looking to make a coaching change, they should.
The Oilers wanted to do this quietly, talk to Cassidy and make a decision based on what he had to say if they were going to make a change, I think there's a world they might have been thinking about, are we listening to him? But maybe don't? I hate to say it's over, Kyle. I just don't know how they can go about that now, since it's out and everyone knows. And Kris Knoblauch knows it. I don't know how to do that, you might have to make a change, because it's there and everyone knows it.
I think the Oilers wanted to do this quietly, and they can't do that anymore. And now what you're going to have to do, Kyle, is you might have to make a coaching change anyway.
Again, this is the nature of sports. We see it in college football and other sports as well. Teams are always looking to improve, but this has not been handled properly. And shame on the Oilers for taking this information about wanting to talk to Bruce Cassidy won't come out. But if things don't work out for Cassidy, keeping Knoblauch around is a bad look.
After taking over at the start of the 2023-24 season for Jay Woodcroft, Knoblauch took the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025, losing to the Florida Panthers both times. In 2024, the Oilers rallied from a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 7, but lost 2-1. Then in 2025, the Oilers got tough, but they made it a six game streak.
It's an important season for the Edmonton Oilers
During his two-plus seasons in Edmonton, he became one of the most successful coaches in franchise history. He has a 135-77-22 record in 233 regular season games, with a 31-22 record in 53 playoff games.
The top 10 percent of modern-day winning coaches.
Brind'Amour .659
WOODCROFT .643
Reirden .642
Cooper .639
Montgomery .632
CASIDY .630
Dirty Bruce .626
Keefe .626
KNOBLAUCH .624
Bednar .617– Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) May 14, 2026
It was a down year for the Edmonton Oilers, who saw some major roster changes. As Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl said, the team bounced back. Both called it a team average. Is that for the coach, managers, senior management, or ownership? The Oilers are not as good as they were in 2024. It's not even close to closing.
Are The Edmonton Oilers Going In The Wrong Way?
So with Kris Knoblauch out, the Edmonton Oilers are ticking the clock to get Bruce Cassidy, if they get the deal. That is a belief he will live by. But the clock is ticking on Stan Bowman and Jeff Jackson, and the expectation is to win, given the status of McDavid's contract going forward.
🚨Night Cap Recap 🚨
Kris Knoblauch Out in Edmonton #letsgooilers pic.twitter.com/ZhiQUatsUq
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) May 14, 2026
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