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Kris Knoblauch was fired as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers after leading the team to the Stanley Cup Final in his first two seasons. His dismissal highlights the instability of coaching positions in the NHL.
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Kris Knoblauch is behind the bench for Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise on June 17. // Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Kris Knoblauch coached the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final in his first two seasons behind their bench and took them to the playoffs in his third — only he will not get a fourth.
Knoblauch was the latest NHL coach to find his way to the unemployment line after being fired by the Oilers on Thursday.
This came a few days after it was learned the Oilers were trying to talk to Bruce Cassidy, who happened to be fired himself a few weeks before the Vegas Golden Knights were to return to the playoffs.
Cassidy has been fired twice; once by the Boston Bruins after leading them to the playoffs in five of his six seasons — including a berth in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.
He was replaced by John Tortorella at the end of March with eight games despite coaching the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup title over the Panthers in 2023.
The Golden Knights had initially refused Edmonton’s request — leading to word getting out that GM Stan Bowman was looking around.
That, basically, was it for Knoblauch.
“We just felt that we needed a different voice to lead us to where we want to get to,’’ Bowman said on Thursday.
Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice, whose team beat Knoblauch’s Oilers in the past two Stanley Cup Finals, is no stranger to getting the boot from a team.
Maurice has been fired so many times he often jokes about it.
Finding the right situation, Maurice said a few years back, makes all the difference.
Kris Knoblauch was fired after leading the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final and playoffs in his first three seasons, indicating a lack of job security in the NHL.
Recent coaching changes include Kris Knoblauch's firing from the Oilers and Bruce Cassidy's dismissal from the Golden Knights.
Kris Knoblauch coached the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final in his first two seasons and reached the playoffs in his third season.
Kris Knoblauch's firing underscores the precarious nature of coaching jobs in the NHL, where even successful coaches can be let go.
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“After you spend some time in the league, you start to understand the importance of style and fit in coaching,’’ Maurice told FHN the day he was announced as Florida’s coach in 2022.
“The fit has to be with management and ownership. When I stepped back from the game, I kind of made myself a deal that I was going to only ever consider going back if all the pieces were there. I want to enjoy my job and I want to enjoy my life. In order for that to happen, you have got to be in a place where your family can thrive, where you have a team that has a chance to win.”
Knoblauch appeared to be in the right place and took them pretty far — at least until the team took a step back this year and sort of backed into the playoffs before being upset by Anaheim in Round 1.
He took over for Jay Woodcroft 13 games into the 2023-24 season with the Oilers having only won three games.
Knoblauch got the Oilers back on track, but he certainly knew NHL coaches were hired just to eventually get fired.
“It’s a reset,” Knoblauch said after being hired away from the New York Rangers’ AHL team in 2023. “Hopefully our players see this and it takes the pressure off them … it’s not going to just happen with a new coach or a new message.”
The Oilers, who are certainly tied to Cassidy, are now one of three teams looking for a new coach. The Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs are the others.
This article: NHL Coach Is Not a Very Secure Job. Kris Knoblauch of the Oilers Found that Out originally appeared on Florida Hockey Now.