Former Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch is in no hurry to find a new job after being relieved of his duties following the team's first-round playoff exit. Over the past two decades, the longest Knoblauch has been out of work as a hockey coach is two months, back when the WHL Kootenay Ice fired him in 2013 and Erie Otters GM Sherry Bassin offered him a job out of the blue.
If Bassin hadn't rescued him, Knoblauch was considering quitting coaching to become a teacher in Cranbrook. Now that he's been let go after 286 games with the Oilers, he expects to be unemployed for much longer than 60 days. He is in no rush to jump back into coaching, even with openings in Toronto, Los Angeles, and Vancouver.
Family Considerations
Knoblauch is mindful of the moving his wife and two children have endured due to his coaching career. Like many kids graduating Grade 12 and heading to Europe for a gap year, this could be a gap year for Knoblauch. When he first got the Oilers head job in November 2023, coming from the New York Rangers' AHL affiliate in Hartford to replace Jay Woodcroft, his family stayed behind until after the 2023-24 season. Now his daughter is in high school in Edmonton, and his son, a football player, is in post-secondary school. He is not uprooting them.
Financial Security
Knoblauch signed a three-year extension last fall worth approximately $7.5 million, so he is financially secure. He has no immediate need to coach, even though coaching has been his life for 20 years. His resume includes two trips to the Stanley Cup Final with the Oilers, a .624 winning percentage in the regular season over 233 games, and a 31-22 playoff record.
Age and Experience
At 47, Knoblauch was the fourth-youngest coach this past season, after Ryan Warsofsky (37) in San Jose, Dan Muse (43) in Pittsburgh, and Marty St. Louis (46) in Montreal. He has been around rinks since 1995 as a coach or junior player in the WHL (Red Deer, Edmonton Ice, Kootenay, Lethbridge), the University of Alberta Golden Bears for five years, and minor-pro in Austin, Texas. He started coaching junior in Prince Albert as an assistant with Dave Manson in 2006. His first head job came in 2010 with Kootenay (two years), followed by five years in Erie, an NHL assistant role under Dave Hakstol in Philadelphia, and four-plus years in Hartford.
Coaching Changes
When Knoblauch was let go along with assistant coach Mark Stuart, there was no mention of Paul Coffey, who handled the defense with Stuart. Coffey's coaching days are likely over; he will return to an advisory role for owner Daryl Katz. A new head coach will inherit Paul McFarland, who did a fine job replacing Glen Gulutzan and managing the league's best power play, but will bring in his own assistants.
