Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch gives update on contract status
The Edmonton Oilers’ top priority is to sign Connor McDavid to a contract extension, but they can’t forget about head coach Kris Knoblauch’s next deal.
Knoblauch is entering the third and final year of a contract he signed when he was initially hired by the Oilers midway through the 2023-24 NHL season. It was his first gig acting as a head coach in the league, and he helped lead the team to two consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances.
It’s been a whirlwind for the 46-year-old, and he hopes to continue it in Edmonton beyond this upcoming season. In his first media availability of the new season on Wednesday morning, Knoblauch gave a brief comment on his contract status.
“I’d be surprised if anyone knew that I was going into my last year of my contract because of everything else that’s going on,” Knoblauch joked. “We’ll move on that quickly… Hopefully, something gets done before we get going.”
From the sounds of it, a new contract extension for #Oilers HC Kris Knoblauch could be coming over the next few weeks.
Here was his answer when asked about it this morning (Q from @jimmathesonnhl) pic.twitter.com/r3Cm9RmhGm
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) September 17, 2025
While we knew that Knoblauch signed a three-year deal when he was hired, the Oilers did not make the coach’s salary public when doing so. With the Saskatchewan native having no prior experience as an NHL head coach when he was hired, one can only assume that it wasn’t a king’s ransom that brought him to Edmonton.
There will undoubtedly be a raise in salary in whatever his next contract with the Oilers looks like. Besides leading the team to two Stanley Cup Finals, Knoblauch has also helped the team to a few incredible regular-season results.
As it stands, the Oilers bench boss has an incredible 94-47-10 record through 151 regular-season games and an even more impressive 29-18 record in 47 playoff games. Knoblauch’s .656 points percentage is the highest in franchise history.
It may not be the big contract news that Oilers fans are hoping to hear regarding McDavid, but getting Knoblauch locked down to a new contract will be another important piece of business.