The decision by the Edmonton Oilers coach, Kris Knoblauch, to separate two of the NHL’s most dominant stars, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, raised eyebrows during the series. Considering how effective the duo had been together, it was not an easy decision for the coaching staff to separate them.

The coach, Kris Knoblauch, openly admitted that the McDavid–Draisaitl combination had been the team’s best line throughout the series.

“Yeah. No, it was a very difficult decision because, like you said, they were really good. They were our best line throughout the series,” the coach said. 

McDavid and Draisaitl did well in the defensive department and contributed to the offence as well.

“Whether it was defensive responsibilities or chipping in offensively, they were really good.” Coach said he trusted Podkolzin, Nugent-Hopkins, and Hyman to form a strong, reliable defensive line. And that’s why he decided to separate McDavid and Leon. 

“I guess the one thing why we went to that was, you know, I had a lot of confidence in Podkolzin and NGE and Heyman playing together," he said. "It was very similar to last year in the playoffs, where it was a Kane, NG, and Hyman in the playoffs, and they were a really good line for us. Unfortunately, we had to break him up when Hyman got hurt. Obviously, he's unavailable at the end of the series.”

Coach recalled the last playoffs when Kane, Nugent-Hopkins, and Hyman formed a strong line before Hyman’s injury forced them to split.

Kris Knoblauch Focus on Team Balance and Trust in Other Players

The coach, Kris Knoblauch, split Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl because he wanted better balance across the team. Instead of keeping both stars on one line, he believed the team would perform stronger if talent was spread out. 

He also had strong confidence in the defensive abilities of other players on the second line, trusting them to handle tough matchups and still contribute offensively.

While continuing his answer on separation, the coach said he chose that line because he trusted those three players to defend well against top opponents and contribute offensively.

“That's partially the reason why we went with that line, because I had a lot of confidence that those three would be able to play defensively strongly. Whether it was against their other top lines or um being able to chip in offensively.” he said.

The move was less about breaking up a successful partnership and more about maximising the Oilers’ chances of winning as a team.

Coming to the Edmonton Oilers’ situation in the ongoing first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, they have been hot and cold till now. After four games, the series is leveled at 2-2.

They won the first game 4-3 against the Anaheim Ducks but lost the next two games. In Game 4, they came out victorious 4-1 on April 28, 2026. Now, they will face the Ducks again in Game 5 on April 30 at the Honda Centre in Anaheim.

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Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi