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Edmonton Oilers insider drops huge hint on who the next coach will be

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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May 14 2026, 3:49 pm
Edmonton Oilers insider drops huge hint on who the next coach will be
@EdmontonOilers/X

After some heavy speculation in recent days, the Edmonton Oilers officially fired Kris Knoblauch on Thursday morning.

The Oilers also announced that they have fired assistant coach Mark Stuart, who had been in charge of their defence and penalty kill before Paul Coffey took over defence duties following the Olympic break.

“Following a thorough review of this past season, we believe these changes are needed. We are grateful for the contributions both Kris and Mark have made to our organization, and we wish them the best moving forward,” GM Stan Bowman said in a statement.

So now, the question begins as to who the Oilers will look to replace Knoblauch with.

Each of the past two coaches the Oilers have hired, Jay Woodcroft and Knoblauch, had no prior experience as a head coach at the NHL level. It sounds like this time the organization plans to go with more pedigree.

“My belief is that the Oilers will target an experienced head coach with gravitas who has had a history of having structure and process in his team’s game… and has won before,” Bob Stauffer tweeted shortly after Thursday’s announcement was made.

That would seem to suggest the Oilers are looking to go with Bruce Cassidy, who was fired by the Vegas Golden Knights in late March. The 60-year-old won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023, while also leading the Boston Bruins to the Cup Final in 2019.

The Oilers had reportedly attempted to reach out to Cassidy earlier in the week, though the Golden Knights, as they have the right to do, have delayed that process for the time being.

While Cassidy does appear to be the frontrunner, he isn’t the only experienced head coach who has won at the NHL level.

Another who fits the description Stauffer tweeted out is Peter Laviolette, who was fired by the New York Rangers after missing the playoffs in 2024-25. The 61-year-old, who won a Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, ranks seventh in NHL history with 1,594 games coached, as well as wins with 846.

There’s also Craig Berube, who won a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. The 60-year-old was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this week.

It’s unclear as to when the Oilers plan to announce a new hire, but given the update provided by Stauffer, it sounds like the organization will look be looking for someone with experience this time around.

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