While the Edmonton Oilers were being considered a major contender for the 2026 Stanley Cup, their miserable performance has now raised questions about coach Kris Knoblauch's future in the franchise.

Knoblauch led the side to two back-to-back final appearances in the last two seasons. But when the lights were shining at their brightest in the playoffs this year, the Connor McDavid-led Oilers slipped up to a brutal end in the first round at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks in six games.

​With the shock exit from the first round of the playoffs for Edmonton after a 41-30-11 record for 93 points, the coaching tenure of Knoblauch has come under the microscope. The 0.567 points percentage is the lowest for the Oilers in the last three seasons, down from 0.703 and 0.616 in 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively.

While it isn’t the worst points percentage in the world, the Oilers never really played like one of the Stanley Cup contenders this time around.

Knoblauch had built his earlier success on defensive stability with a 5-man structure, reducing their goals against from the times past. Although this season, defensive breakdowns were quite the norm for Edmonton, leading to 265 GA (3.23 GA/GP), a lowly 25th spot on the leaderboard. It was a stark contrast to 235 GA (2.88 GA/GP) and 236 GA (2.87 GA/GP) in 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively.

The struggle to close out games was happening too frequently for the Oilers despite being one of the top offensive teams in the league this season.

The key factors like player injuries and late-season fatigue can’t be denied, but Knoblauch wasn’t able to get the best out of what was at his disposal when it mattered the most.

Despite that, Knoblauch has a very impressive 135-77-21 record at the Oilers with a 0.624 points percentage after joining them in the initial stages of the 2023-24 season. That’s when he inherited a team with a tough record of 3-9-1 before improving it to 49-27-6 and dragged them to their first Stanley Cup appearance in 18 years.

Knoblauch is under pressure to keep his job at the Oilers

Kris Knoblauch, 47, hasn’t done much wrong on a statistical level for the Edmonton Oilers this season, but the head coach wasn’t really able to fulfill their expectations despite boasting stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

The Oilers management was ruthless with previous head coach Jay Woodcroft, firing him after a tough start to the regular season nearly three seasons ago.

The decision to let go of Woodcroft came just a few months after he guided them to an incredible 50 wins in the 2022-23 regular season, the fourth time it had happened in the franchise’s history. With all of this and the recent media reports, Knoblauch is under pressure to keep his job at the Oilers.

Many of the insiders and analysts are expecting Edmonton to give Knoblauch his marching orders, including TSN’s own Darren Dreger, stating that there is “a ton of heat” on him. It is understood that the availability of Bruce Cassidy, the former Vegas Golden Knights head coach, is adding to the suspense regarding the future of Knoblauch.

The next few days and weeks could clear up the situation regarding the head coach of the Oilers and the direction the franchise decides to take ahead of the new NHL season.

So, do you think that the Oilers' authorities will continue with Knoblauch as the coach? Or will someone else lead the side in the next season?

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Souvik Roy