Oilers Have to Fire Kris Knoblauch

It can no longer be a discussion; the Edmonton Oilers have to fire Kris Knoblauch.

After back-to-back seasons where he was behind the bench for a run to the Stanley Cup Final, Knoblauch was a key reason why the Oilers weren’t able to get out of the first round this season.

Some blame can be placed on injuries, a rough showing defensively, or a lack of production from their top guys, but at the end of the day, the majority of the blame has to be placed on Knoblauch, and he needs to be relieved of his duties as head coach.

Knoblauch Made Questionable Decisions

The Oilers were stunned by the Anaheim Ducks, who seemingly had their way with the Oilers throughout the entire series, and most of the blame should be placed on the coaching staff.

One of the biggest issues with Knoblauch is his inability to construct a lineup properly. He doesn’t seem to know what players to use at what time, and overuses Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, rather than trying to build confidence in his depth.

While McDavid and Draisaitl played well together in game five against the Ducks, leading to a win, their track record together at even strength isn’t good, and history shows that they are stronger when they aren’t on the same line, according to Natural Stat Trick, but Knoblauch chose to ignore that, stating he was trying to lighten the workload for McDavid, which failed.

On top of that, the systems that Knoblauch has in place simply don’t work. From the neutral zone forecheck to the defensive zone structure to the offensive zone forecheck, they were all countered perfectly by the Ducks, and the Oilers were sent packing.

Another major issue for the Oilers this season was their penalty kill, and it was especially bad in the playoffs.

The penalty kill issues can be chalked up to not having the personnel available to them, with Adam Henrique and Mattias Janmark both out battling injuries, but it goes back to overusing the same players, rather than trusting anyone else. Knoblauch resorted to using McDavid on the penalty kill, increasing his ice time even more, and draining his energy.

At the end of the day, Knoblauch’s questionable decision-making cost the Oilers a chance at a deep playoff run. From his continuously scrambled lineups during the regular season to his inability to line match, to his unwillingness to move away from what isn’t working, he needs to be let go.

Stronger Candidates Are Available

Another big reason Knoblauch should be fired is that there are a few stronger candidates available on the market.

David Carle and Misha Donskov are two coaches who deserve a head coach position in the NHL, but Carle has rejected moves to the NHL in recent seasons and seems committed to the University of Denver, while Donskov recently accepted a position to lead Team Canada’s World and World Junior Championship teams, so he likely wouldn’t be interested.

Bruce Cassidy was fired by the Vegas Golden Knights before the end of the regular season and was replaced by John Tortorella, but he likely won’t be out of a job for very long. There is some loose speculation that the Toronto Maple Leafs could consider bringing him in as a Craig Berube replacement, but the Oilers should consider bringing him in.

On top of them, Steve Ott, Gerard Gallant, and Claude Julien could all be candidates if they’re looking to get back into a head coach position. A dark horse candidate is Florida Panthers’ assistant coach Sylvain Lefebvre.

Maybe Paul Coffey is someone the organization discusses giving the role to.

Either way, the Oilers need to make a switch. It almost doesn’t matter who it is replacing Knoblauch, as long as it is someone different leading the charge behind the bench next season.

If Knoblauch returns next season, the Oilers won’t be taken seriously.

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