Oilers coach Knoblauch has entered the Jack Adams conversation
Could Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch be headed to the 2024 NHL Awards this summer?
The rookie head coach has aced his report card through the first 26 games behind the bench, helping the Oilers to an incredible 20-6-0 record since he was hired to replace Jay Woodcroft on November 12. This gives him a ridiculous .769 points percentage.
During that stretch, the team has had an eight-game winning streak and is currently on a franchise-record 10-game heater with the Toronto Maple Leafs in town tonight.
If this success continues down the stretch, it could very well put Knoblauch in contention for the Jack Adams Award given to the league’s best coach as voted by the NHL Broadcasters Association.
The #Oilers are 20-6-0 under HC Kris Knoblauch. That is a ridiculous .769 pts% in just 26 games.
If this keeps up for the rest of the season I don't know how the rookie head coach could not at least be in the discussion for the Jack Adams.
Stiff comp but the results don't lie.
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) January 16, 2024
This hasn’t been just luck for Knoblauch as he has made several moves that have greatly contributed to the team’s recent success. Edmonton was bleeding rush goals against at the beginning of the season and has now found ways to limit those chances from turning into goals.
He has also done a great job at shuffling lines around to find out what works. His top line of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Connor McDavid-Zach Hyman is among the best in the NHL at the moment and he has found ways to get Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele going offensively as well.
Having McDavid return to his usual self and Stuart Skinner playing some of the best hockey of his career is certainly helping, but Knoblauch’s impact on the team cannot be understated. He has found a way to turn things around dramatically in a very short period.
The last time an Oilers head coach won the Jack Adams was Glen Sather back in 1986. Todd McLellan was the last Edmonton coach to be a finalist after guiding the team back into the playoffs for the first time in over a decade in 2017.
There will be some very stiff competition for this year’s award. Rick Tocchet has the Vancouver Canucks on top of the league and Rick Bowness is right behind working his magic with the Winnipeg Jets.
Knoblauch’s results are keeping up with those juggernauts right now and he could very well pass them as the season winds down.