Oilers Running Out of Time For Coaching Change to Have Impact

A week and a half ago, the Edmonton Oilers relieved head coach Jay Woodcroft of his duties and replaced him with Kris Knoblauch behind the bench. Oilers general manager and president of hockey operations Ken Holland and CEO of hockey operations Jeff Jackson announced the change at a press conference on Nov. 12. 

It was a desperate move as the Oilers sat 31st overall in the NHL standings with a record of 3-9-1. With struggling superstars, ghastly goaltending, and even worse defensive play, the Oilers looked nothing like the Stanley Cup contenders they were supposed to be.

Oilers Having the Same Problems

The Oilers have now played four games under Knoblauch, and not much seems to have changed from prior to the coaching change: Edmonton is 2-2 with its new bench boss, but with one of those wins coming in overtime after a furious two-goal comeback late in the third period, the Oilers could easily be 1-3 in that stretch. The Oilers are still a dumpster fire on defense. They still can’t hold leads. They’re still searching for answers.  

On Saturday (Nov. 18) against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena, the Oilers led 2-0, 3-2, and 4-3, and still lost 6-4 after giving up four third-period goals. Two days later, at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Edmonton blew leads of 2-0 and 3-2 en route to a 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Florida Panthers. 

Related: 4 Takeaways From Oilers’ 5-3 Road Loss to Panthers

Is it fair to judge Knoblauch after four games? Of course not. This is the 45-year-old’s first NHL coaching gig, and he was literally behind the bench for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL) the night before being handed the keys to a team that had gone way off course. To expect Knoblauch to transform the Oilers overnight would be unreasonable. But here’s the thing about that: Jackson and Holland made the coaching change to generate instant results. 

Woodcroft Was Successful as Coach  

Until the first dozen games of this season, the Oilers were consistently among the NHL’s top teams throughout Woodcroft’s tenure. When he was dismissed, he had a record of 79-41-13 for a point percentage of .643, the highest of any coach in Oilers history. Edmonton won three playoff rounds over two postseasons with Woodcroft at the helm, and in 2022 made its first Western Conference championship series appearance in 16 years. 

That track record should have provided reason to believe Woodcroft could turn the ship around. In what proved to be his final game as head coach, Nov. 11, the Oilers actually played one of their best games of 2023-24, defeating the Seattle Kraken 4-1 at Climate Pledge Arena. 

But with Leon Draisaitl’s free-agent year coming up in 2025, and Connor McDavid hitting the market one year later, the Oilers don’t have the luxury of time. At least not in the eyes of Jackson and Holland.  

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“Certainly, we’ve played at a high level under (Woodcroft),” Holland said on Nov. 12 at the press conference introducing Knoblauch. “I think we had the second-best winning percentage over the last 120 games under Jay, but we’re in win-now mode and I think we’ve talked about that over the last few years that I’ve been here. I think since I’ve got here, when you look at our team – the players on the team, the age of the team – the time is now to try to win.  

“I guess we could get into the debate: is 12 games or 13 games enough? I think if you wait another 10 games and things don’t change, it’s probably too late, so Jeff and I felt that it was something that needed to be done.” 

Oilers Sit Far Back of Playoff Spot

Edmonton is now nearly halfway through “another 10 games.” They have a 5-11-1 record, sit eight points back of the last wild card spot in the Western Conference playoff race, and have a challenging schedule ahead. The Oilers’ next six games, which will put them at exactly 10 since the coaching change, come against opponents with a combined point percentage of .621 and none have a losing record. 

Maybe the Oilers could have rediscovered their past form with Woodcroft, maybe not. Maybe they’ll suddenly make vast improvements under Knoblauch. Maybe.

If not, it doesn’t mean Knoblauch isn’t good at what he does, or that he won’t one day become a successful bench boss in the NHL. But he was tasked, some might say unfairly, with immediately turning things around. He’s the last resort of a front office with no cards left to play. 

So if another couple of weeks pass and the Oilers are falling further out of the playoff chase, then what? Edmonton is so pressed against the salary cap that a significantly impactful trade is quite difficult to make. Holland and Jackson are out of moves, staking their future on a greenhorn coach whom they’ve thrown to the wolves. Meanwhile, another coach that has won a lot with this almost identical roster is looking for work (although probably not for long). 

If nothing else, it would be fascinating to see what rabbit the management duo attempts to pull out of its hat next. Edmonton fans hope that’s a bridge that doesn’t have to be crossed. The Oilers need to figure this out quickly, and their next chance is tonight (Nov. 22) in Raleigh, N.C., where they will take on the Carolina Hurricanes.