The Edmonton Oilers are moving on from head coach Kris Knoblauch, per TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. The news arrives in the wake of a report from Frank Seravalli earlier this week that noted the Oilers had sought permission from the Vegas Golden Knights to interview Bruce Cassidy.
Knoblauch, 47, took over for Jay Woodcroft in November 2024 and instantly turned things around, leading Edmonton to the first of its two straight Stanley Cup finals appearances. The Oilers came up short both times, falling to the Florida Panthers twice. After the Anaheim Ducks bounced them from the first round of this year’s playoffs, they’re still in search of their first Stanley Cup since the 1989-90 season.
What makes Knoblauch’s reported firing particularly head-scratching is that, in October, the Oilers signed him to a three-year extension through the 2028-29 season.
As for his potential replacement, Cassidy, Vegas fired him with only eight games remaining in the regular season. But since he still has time left on his deal and continues to be paid by the Knights, interested teams still have to go through Vegas to interview the one-time Stanley Cup champion head coach. That practice is usually a formality in these situations; however, the Knights have reportedly withheld permission from the Oilers, a Pacific Division rival, to interview Cassidy.
Rather than outright deny Edmonton permission, Vegas has kept the Oilers waiting, according to Seravalli’s report, which also included that the Los Angeles Kings are a suitor for Cassidy’s services, too.
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Cassidy, 60, has a 470-254-9-96 record as an NHL head coach. He took the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup finals during the 2018-19 season. Four years later, in his first season at the helm in Vegas, he led the Knights to their first-ever Stanley Cup.
Late this season, John Tortorella took Cassidy’s place and has Vegas up 3-2 in a second-round series against the Ducks.
Regarding the Oilers, they took a noticeable step back this season under Knoblauch. Stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl even discussed that regression. Edmonton finished with its lowest points percentage since 2018-19, the most recent season the team didn’t make the playoffs.
In today’s NHL, head coaches have remarkably short leashes. While the Oilers found success with Knoblauch behind the bench, they became stagnant this season, and now Edmonton is reportedly turning the page.
