The Edmonton Oilers spent the better part of two years being one win away from a Stanley Cup. Back-to-back Finals appearances in 2024 and 2025, both losses to the Florida Panthers, had established Kris Knoblauch as a coach who could get the most out of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Then came a 41-30-11 regular season, a six-game first-round exit against the Anaheim Ducks, and an offseason that spiralled into embarrassment. On Thursday, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug confirmed the inevitable: the Oilers have relieved Knoblauch of his duties.
What made the firing so combustible was not the decision itself but the sequence of events that preceded it.
Jason Demers Calls Out Edmonton Oilers for Embarrassing Kris Knoblauch Before Pulling the Trigger
Former NHL defenseman Jason Demers, who played 11 seasons in the league and has remained close to the Edmonton hockey community through media work, had seen enough. His response was pointed and personal.
“Fresh off the heels of McDavid and Draisaitl being candid, vulnerable, and honest about the direction of the team and the organization, you have the complete mishandling of this Knoblauch situation. It’s inexcusable! Why the hell are you interviewing Cassidy?? Why not let go of Kris Knoblauch first? I am at a loss with this… to embarrass your coach that went to two Stanley Cup Finals. Anyway, that’s business. Not good business, just business.”
Kris Knoblauch first? I am at a loss with this… to embarrass your coach that went to two Stanley Cup finals….. Anyway that’s business 🤷🏻♂️ not good business , just business.
— jason demers (@jasondemers5) May 14, 2026
The contrast Demers draws is the sharpest way to frame what happened. McDavid stood in front of microphones after the Ducks series and called the Oilers an average team. Draisaitl backed him up, each player publicly acknowledging that the organization had taken steps backward.
It was the kind of candor from franchise players that a front office should meet with equally serious action. What Stan Bowman and the Oilers’ ownership witnessed instead was a leak confirming they had quietly sought permission from the Vegas Golden Knights to interview Bruce Cassidy while Knoblauch was still employed.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli broke the story on May 12, reporting that Edmonton had approached Vegas for permission to speak with Cassidy, who was fired by the Golden Knights in March with eight games remaining in the regular season.
Vegas initially withheld permission, a move that drew criticism from across the league, but the damage to Edmonton’s credibility was already done. Knoblauch, who had signed a three-year extension in October 2025 set to kick in in 2026-27, was left to read reports about his replacement while still technically holding the job.
TSN analyst Jeff O’Neill echoed Demers’ outrage on OverDrive, calling it flat-out classless. “The guy took your team to two Finals and turned it around, and you do that to him? Just fire the guy if you’re gonna do it. What is the guy sitting on his couch reading Frank Seravalli’s tweet and the Bruce Cassidy stuff?”
Per Sportsnaut, multiple Oilers players were upset not with the coaching change itself but with how the situation became public before Knoblauch was informed. That detail amplifies Demers’ point precisely.
This was not a front office making a tough but necessary decision. This was a front office losing control of its own process and leaving a coach who went 135-77-21 in the regular season and 31-22 in the playoffs to absorb the public fallout in real time.
Over Knoblauch’s three seasons behind the bench, Edmonton played the most playoff games in the league (53). The Oilers had played 49 playoff games in their 17 seasons prior to bringing him on board.
Knoblauch was entering the first year of a new three year deal that paid him just north of 7.5m total.
Be interesting to see what’s next for him. Good candidate for any vacancy out there but also has the space to take some time to recharge. https://t.co/3mBsJW90va
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) May 14, 2026
Knoblauch was the first Edmonton coach to reach the Stanley Cup Final since Craig MacTavish in 2005-06 and the first to do it in back-to-back years since the same era. He will not be short of suitors.
The Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs are both conducting head coaching searches, and Rishaug noted that Knoblauch is “a good candidate for any vacancy out there.”
For the Oilers, the question now is whether replacing the coach addresses the right problem. McDavid has two years left on his contract. The window is closing. And the way they handled Knoblauch’s exit has given nobody inside or outside the organization any particular reason for confidence.
