On the heels of the Toronto Maple Leafs firing head coach Craig Berube, the Edmonton Oilers dismissed a much less deserving bench boss on Thursday, letting go of head coach Kris Knoblauch after three seasons. Knoblauch led the Oilers to consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, but this season the Oilers lost in the first round to Anaheim.
Knoblauch took over from Jay Woodcroft in November 2023 and led Edmonton to the first of two meetings with the Florida Panthers, losing in seven games. The Oilers once again emerged from the West in 2024-25, but once again ran into the Panthers’ buzzsaw, losing to them in six games.
Reports earlier this week said the Oilers had asked permission to speak with former Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy and had been denied by their division rival. The Los Angeles Kings have also been denied permission to speak to Cassidy, and there are reports that the Leafs may ask to speak to the Stanley Cup winner. If Vegas continues to deny permission to speak to Cassidy, it is unknown what direction Oilers GM Stan Bowman will take, but the clock is clearly ticking in Edmonton, with just two years left on Connor McDavid‘s deal.
