5 coaches Edmonton Oilers could hire if they fire Knoblauch
There are few teams with more eyeballs on them than the Edmonton Oilers heading into the offseason.
After reaching the Stanley Cup Final in both 2024 and 2025, the Oilers were a far lesser team throughout the 2025-26 season, and wound up being eliminated in the first round by the Anaheim Ducks.
The time is ticking in Edmonton, as Connor McDavid’s two-year extension is set to kick in this coming season. The organization has little time left to waste, and is reportedly looking to make some major changes this summer. One of those changes appears to be behind the bench.
There have been plenty of questions surrounding Kris Knoblauch’s future with the Oilers, and based on recent reports, it sounds as though he has coached his last game with the organization. The question now is, if they do indeed move on from him, who should they go after?
Earlier in the 2025-26 season, many Oilers fans had suggested Pete DeBoer. That is no longer an option, as the 57-year-old was hired by the New York Islanders in April.
Another name many were circling was Jon Cooper. Some believed his job could be on the line following another early Tampa Bay Lightning exit from the postseason, but it appears that won’t be the case.
While both DeBoer and Cooper would have served as excellent fits, there are several other intriguing candidates for the job. Here are five worth strongly considering:
Bruce Cassidy
After hiring two first-time NHL head coaches in Knoblauch and Jay Woodcroft, this may be the time for the Oilers to instead go with experience. Should management agree with that philosophy, there isn’t a better option available than Bruce Cassidy.
Cassidy has spent 10 seasons as a head coach at the NHL level, during which time he’s amassed a 470-254-105 record. He helped lead the Vegas Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup championship in 2023, while also leading the Boston Bruins to the Cup Final in 2019.
The criticism of Cassidy is that he tends to have a short shelf life with teams. That said, he seems to get results in a very quick fashion, and his usual short shelf life may not matter a whole lot given the uncertain future surrounding McDavid. At this point, Cassidy seems to be the ideal candidate.
Peter Laviolette
Another potential option with plenty of experience is Peter Laviolette. The 61-year-old sits seventh all-time with 1,594 games under his belt as a head coach at the NHL level. He’s put together an 846-562-186 record over that span.
Laviolette, much like Cassidy, seems to get immediate results anywhere he’s gone in his lengthy coaching career. He sat out the 2025-26 season after being fired by the New York Rangers last spring.
Laviolette is also similar to Cassidy in the fact that he tends to have a short shelf life due to a rather demanding style. That said, the Oilers could benefit from a hard-nosed coach, making him an intriguing option.
Dean Evason
Another newer coach to the unemployment line is Dean Evason. The 803-game NHL veteran was fired by the Columbus Blue Jackets in what was just his second season behind the bench this past January.
Evason, 61, doesn’t have nearly as much head coaching experience as Cassidy and Laviolette, but he’s by no means new to the game, either. Before his stint with the Blue Jackets, he served parts of five seasons as the head coach of the Minnesota Wild.
Evason is more of an old-school personality, said to demand plenty of accountability from each and every one of his players. While most Oilers fans would prefer Cassidy or Laviolette over him, it still wouldn’t hurt for management to reach out and have a conversation.
Todd Nelson
If the Oilers are to go with a first-time head coach for the third-straight time, one can’t help but wonder if they wind up pursuing a name many Edmonton fans would recognize: Todd Nelson. Technically, he does have a bit of experience in the role, as he spent 46 games of the 2014-15 season serving as the Oilers’ interim head coach.
Though Nelson has never been offered an NHL head coaching gig since, he’s constantly being listed as a potential candidate for several open positions. He’s had plenty of success behind the bench at the AHL level, winning three Calder Cups since 2017.
Manny Malholtra
Another up-and-coming coach that has been getting plenty of attention as of late is Manny Malholtra. The former NHL centreman has spent the past two seasons as the head coach of the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, the first of which saw him lead his team to a Calder Cup championship.
Of the coaches listed, Malholtra is by far and away the least experienced of the bunch, though it’s worth noting he spent four seasons as an assistant coach under Sheldon Keefe with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to that, he spent three seasons with the Vancouver Canucks under Travis Green.
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