Oilers fire head coach Kris Knoblauch

A massive change behind the bench in Northern Alberta.

On Thursday, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reported that the Edmonton Oilers have fired Kris Knoblauch as head coach.

The move comes after a stunning exit from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Even with a more experienced roster, the Oilers were stunned in the opening round, as they were eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks in six games. It marked the first time Edmonton had been knocked out in the division semifinals since the 2021 postseason.

There was plenty of criticism of Knoblauch’s coaching methods, especially after captain Connor McDavid called the team “average,” with him and Leon Draisaitl noting that the team was heading in the wrong direction. This, despite the Oilers still challenging for first place in the Pacific Division after another rough opening month of the regular season.

Knoblauch came to the organization in November 2023, after Jay Woodcroft was let go after an abysmal start to the season. The former Hartford Wolf Pack bench boss helped turn the ship around, with the Oilers eventually reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 18 years. The team ultimately lost to the Florida Panthers in a thrilling seven-game series. A similar story played out in 2024-25, as Edmonton maintained its status as one of the NHL’s top teams. They made it back to the final for the second year in a row, but lost to the Panthers once again, this time in six games.

The back-to-back Western Conference championships led the Oilers to sign Knoblauch to a three-year contract extension, which was set to begin next season. However, with reports coming out that the team is interested in speaking with former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy, general manager Stan Bowman and company decided to make a change.

In nearly three full seasons with the Oilers, Knoblauch coached the team to a regular-season record of 135-77-21, with a 6-3 playoff series record and an overall postseason mark of 31-22.