Oilers GM Stan Bowman reveals why Edmonton fired coach Kris Knoblauch

The Edmonton Oilers officially moved on from head coach Kris Knoblauch on May 14 after a disappointing season that ended with an NHL first-round playoff exit against the Anaheim Ducks.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Oilers general manager Stan Bowman explained the reasoning behind the difficult decision. Bowman stressed the move was not based solely on the playoff collapse but rather the overall direction of the season.

“This is a tough decision, no question,” Bowman said. “Looking back at the way we ended the previous season, falling just short of the Stanley Cup and the two seasons that Kris had with the team, it was the decision we made that we felt that he had earned that contract extension.

“And then as this season went on, at the end of the year, when I met with the group in the media and my availability, I mentioned that we were going to do a thorough review to try to understand how we got to this point. We had a disappointing end to our season, losing in the first round. And when you take the season as a whole, it was a year we never were able to get going.”

Bowman acknowledged Knoblauch’s success after taking over the team in November 2023. Under his leadership, Edmonton reached back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025 while posting a strong overall record of 135-77-21.

The organization even signed Knoblauch to a three-year extension that was set to begin next season. Edmonton will still owe him the remaining money on that contract.

MORE: Oilers fire Kris Knoblauch after coaching search drama

Oilers GM believed team needed a ‘different voice’

Despite Knoblauch’s accomplishments, Bowman said the Oilers lacked consistency throughout the 2025-26 season. Edmonton finished with a disappointing 41-30-11 record and struggled in several key areas, including defensive structure, special teams, and protecting leads.

“It wasn’t just a slow start or maybe a tough stretch in the middle of the year,” Bowman said. “Those things happen to all teams. You have some ups and downs, but we didn’t have a lot of ups this year. We were kind of right around the middle all year long.

“So, when we performed our analysis and our review about where we headed as a team, we just felt that we needed a different voice to lead us to where we want to get to. So, difficult decision without a doubt, but it was based upon the way this entire year played out, not just small sections or just the playoffs. It was really the total year.”