Edmonton Oilers expected to fire coach Kris Knoblauch today: report
Kris Knoblauch’s reign as Edmonton Oilers head coach is expected to come to an end very soon.
This news comes after reports leaked on Tuesday that the Oilers were trying to interview Bruce Cassidy to become the team’s next head coach. Knoblauch had not yet been fired when those reports came to light, but it seemed to cement his fate. You simply cannot bring back a head coach after trying to find his replacement so publicly.
There had still not been an announcement by the Oilers on Wednesday morning, but that is likely to change by the end of the day. Sportsnet beat reporter Mark Spector reported on X that Knoblauch is expected to be fired by the Oilers, and it could come as soon as today.
“As of this moment — 11:37 a.m. MT — Kris Knoblauch has not been fired by the Edmonton Oilers,” Spector wrote. “We are expecting that to happen, however, likely by day’s end.”
As of this moment āĀ 11:37 a.m. MT āĀ Kris Knoblauch has not been fired by the Edmonton Oilers.
We are expecting that to happen however, likely by day's end.— Mark SpectoršØš¦šŗš¦ (@SportsnetSpec) May 13, 2026
When Knoblauch is fired, it will end a three-season run as Oilers head coach. During that span, the 47-year-old bench boss helped lead Edmonton to two straight Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025. He got the Oilers within one win of the Stanley Cup in his rookie season as head coach, losing 2-1 in Game 7 of the Final against the Florida Panthers.
This past season saw the Oilers regress from being a serious Stanley Cup contender and saw their defensive performance fall off a cliff. With Connor McDavid under contract for just two more seasons, the urgency to win has never been higher.
Knoblauch will end his Oilers tenure with a regular-season record of 135-77-21 and a playoff record of 31-22. His .624 points-percentage ranks second among Edmonton coaches, behind only his predecessor, Jay Woodcroft, who had a .643 points percentage during his reign.
Attention will now shift to who will fill Knoblauch’s spot behind the bench. Cassidy should be seen as the heavy favourite, as he was the person the Oilers reached out to talk to kick off this fiasco.
There will be other teams vying for Cassidy, but recent speculation has the Oilers high up on the veteran coach’s preferred destinations. Edmonton will first have to receive permission from the Vegas Golden Knights to interview him.
With Edmonton bringing in a new head coach, it remains to be seen what happens to the rest of the coaching staff, which includes assistants Paul Coffey, Paul MacFarland, and Mark Stuart.
This will be the first of what could be many big changes coming to the organization this offseason.