Kris Knoblauch was fired by the Edmonton Oilers, and Craig Berube was let go by the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2025-26 NHL season. This marks a significant moment as multiple coaches have been dismissed in a short timeframe.
Kris Knoblauch is the latest NHL head coach to be fired, as the Edmonton Oilers made their decision on Thursday morning. Just one day prior to that, on Wednesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs officially let go of Craig Berube from his head-coaching duties.
With a pair of bench bosses fired in quick succession, it could be a good time to review the coaches who have been let go by their teams since the start of the 2025-26 season.
Kris Knoblauch, Fired May 14 - Edmonton Oilers
As mentioned, Knoblauch is the latest name to be let go.
Knoblauch spent parts of three seasons leading the Oilers from behind the bench, two of which were full regular seasons.
In his first two campaigns with Edmonton, he led his team to back-to-back Stanley Cup final appearances. The Florida Panthers beat them in both trips, but it’s still impressive to feature in the final, as some don’t even get that far in their entire careers, player or staff member.
But what ultimately contributed to his firing was a first-round exit to the Anaheim Ducks and an overall average and underwhelming regular season.
Q&A
Who were the NHL coaches fired during the 2025-26 season?
Kris Knoblauch of the Edmonton Oilers and Craig Berube of the Toronto Maple Leafs were among the coaches fired during the 2025-26 NHL season.
What led to the firing of Kris Knoblauch from the Edmonton Oilers?
The specific reasons for Kris Knoblauch's firing have not been detailed, but it follows a trend of coaching changes in the NHL during the season.
When were Craig Berube and Kris Knoblauch fired?
Craig Berube was fired on Wednesday, and Kris Knoblauch was let go the following Thursday morning.
How many NHL coaches have been fired in the 2025-26 season?
The article suggests that multiple coaches have been dismissed, but does not specify the total number of firings during the 2025-26 NHL season.
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His record with the Oilers ends at 135-77-21 across 233 regular-season outings, and a 31-22 playoff record in 53 contests.
Craig Berube, Fired May 13 - Toronto Maple Leafs
Berube’s firing was warranted considering the state of the Maple Leafs this past season, as well as the organization’s new front-office leadership with GM John Chayka and senior executive advisor Mats Sundin.
Berube is coming off the worst campaign of his coaching career in a full 82-game season. His team posted a 32-36-14 record and a .476 points percentage, finishing last in the Atlantic Division.
In total, Berube coached Toronto for two full seasons, registering an 84-62-18 record in the regular season. In his one playoff appearance with the Maple Leafs, the Buds went 7-6.
It was extremely shocking when the New York Islanders fired Patrick Roy on Easter Sunday, with just four games remaining in the regular season. Not to mention, the moment Roy was fired, the Islanders were in a playoff spot.
Peter DeBoer came in for the remainder of the season and signed a multi-year contract. However, the Isles wound up missing the post-season after an impressive campaign of competing for a playoff spot, which is more than what was expected of them.
Roy’s tenure with New York lasted over parts of three seasons. He was hired in 2023-24 to replace Lane Lambert and ended up coaching the Islanders in 197 regular-season contests, earning a 97-78-22 record.
In his first year with the team (2023-24), he had a short playoff stint, getting eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.
Bruce Cassidy’s dismissal by the Vegas Golden Knights was another surprising decision, but at the same time, it was in line with the organization’s brand of being ruthless.
Nonetheless, Vegas was also in a playoff spot at the time of this coaching change, with eight games left in the season.
To replace Cassidy, John Tortorella was hired, and it proved an effective change because the Golden Knights went on to win the Pacific Division and are now one win away from the Western Conference final.
Either way, Cassidy is a highly-regarded coach and is likely considered the No. 1 candidate available. He’s been to two Stanley Cup finals, winning one with Vegas in 2023.
Cassidy’s Vegas Golden Knights tenure ended with a 178-99-43 record in the regular season, and a 24-16 mark in the post-season.
Jim Hiller’s dismissal was long-awaited by Los Angeles Kings fans. He didn’t lead the Kings to any impressive campaigns and only provided first-round exits in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
He was let go on March 1 and made way for interim bench boss D.J. Smith. Hiller had the Kings in the mud as they were positioned outside of a playoff spot. Eventually, Smith was able to guide them back into the post-season, albeit to be swept in the first round by the Colorado Avalanche.
That was Hiller’s third year as the Kings’ head coach. His time with Los Angeles concluded with an overall 93-58-24 regular-season record and a 3-8 playoff record.
Dean Evason had a tough task at hand, coaching the unproven Columbus Blue Jackets, who were so close to getting into the post-season in 2024-25.
Well, when Rick Bowness replaced him in the winter, the franchise took a turn for the better. Following Bowness’ hire, Columbus went on a 10-1-0 run.
Under Bowness, across 37 outings, the Blue Jackets went 21-11-5, which propelled them into a playoff race that they were never close to earlier in the year.
As for Evason, this was his second stint as an NHL head coach, and it lasted one-and-a-half seasons. Evason went out with a 59-52-16 record in his Blue Jackets career.