NHL insider opines on Kris Knoblauch's Oilers future, highlights potential 'red flag'

Kris Knoblauch has been the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers since November 2023, after replacing Jay Woodcroft midseason. He closed the 2023-24 season, sporting a 46-18-5 record, and led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final, only to fall short of the Florida Panthers in seven games. A former OHL and AHL coach, Kris Knoblauch’s three-year contract with Edmonton is set to expire at the end of the 2025-26 season, and there could be a “red flag” regarding his future with the Oilers, as NHL Insider, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic explained on Friday:

"Knoblauch coached the Oilers to Game 7 of the Cup Final last season, so one assumes that’s a pretty good insurance policy, at least for next season. It’s easy to point out as a potential red flag that Stan Bowman inherited the coach and didn’t hire him, but my understanding is that the Oilers GM is very high on Knoblauch, and they have a very good working relationship."

Edmonton’s former general manager and Hall of Fame Executive, Ken Holland, brought the 45-year-old Kris Knoblauch into the organization after he initially showed interest in hiring Knoblauch in 2015 for the head coaching position of the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Holland’s five-year contract with the Oilers expired in July 2024, and the club opted to bring in former Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman. The Oilers currently sit third in the Pacific Division standings with a 41-26-5 record and 87 points through 71 games.

NHL: Edmonton Oilers at Seattle Kraken - Source: Imagn

As Kris Knoblauch and Bowman seem to be forming a solid relationship, the connection between Knoblauch and Edmonton superstar center Conner McDavid has been evident for quite some time. Knoblauch was McDavid’s head coach for three seasons with the OHL’s Erie Otters from 2012 through 2015, when McDavid was in his late teens.

Oilers' GM Stan Bowman Reinstated into NHL

Stan Bowman became the Chicago Blackhawks general manager in July 2009 and was a part of three Stanley Cup championships with the organization (2010, 2013 and 2015). In October 2021, he and two other Blackhawks executives were banned from the NHL after allegedly mishandling a sexual assault allegation within the organization during the 2010 season. Bowman resigned as the Blackhawks’ president of hockey operations and general manager as a result. He was reinstated into the NHL in July 2024 and was hired that same month as the general manager of the Oilers, replacing Ken Holland.