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Why former Rangers minor league coach reportedly on thin ice with Oilers
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- Why former Rangers minor league coach reportedly on thin ice with Oilers
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Kris Knoblauch is well aware how quickly things can change in the world of professional hockey. After all, one day early in the 2023-24 season he was coaching New York Rangers prospects in Hartford of the American Hockey League, and the next he was directing an Edmonton Oilers team that features Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl , two of the biggest superstars in the NHL.
Now, coming off a first-round postseason loss, Knoblauch can't be totally surprised the Oilers reportedly are searching for his replacement as coach, despite consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025.
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Frank Seravalli reports that the Oilers reached out to the Vegas Golden Knights for permission to speak to Bruce Cassidy, who, himself, was fired and replaced by former Rangers coach John Tortorella in late March. Cassidy remains under contract with Vegas for one more season, hence Edmonton seeking permission, which reportedly has yet to be granted.
"It's possible the Golden Knights' answer is that Edmonton is seeking permission for a vacancy that does not yet exist," Seravalli wrote in Hockey 24/7 . But they also hired John Tortorella while Cassidy was still actively coaching – it's part of the game. To be sure, withholding permission is a move that undoubtedly fits the ruthless front office reputation that the Golden Knights earned over their first eight years in the league."
Seravalli added that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman might step in to get Vegas to move along and grant permission. Cassidy is also believed to be under consideration with the Los Angeles Kings , where D.J. Smith finished the season as interim coach.
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Knoblauch need look no further than Cassidy to further confirm this coaching thing is always full of change. Cassidy led the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019,where they lost in seven games to the St. Louis Blues , and won the Jack Adams Award as top NHL coach in 2019-20. He was fired two years later, despite guiding the Bruins to 100+ points in four of his five full seasons. The Golden Knights canned him three years after he led them to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2023.
Rangers should monitor unsettled situation with Oilers
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Now, Knoblauch is on the hot seat in Edmonton. Like Cassidy, he did quite a bit of winning the past three seasons, posting a 135-77-21 regular-season record with the Oilers, who were 31-22 in the postseason under Knoblauch from 2024-26.
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"Yes, Knoblauch has a three-year contract extension with the Oilers through the 2028-29 season that does not kick in until July 1. But this is not a shock," Seravalli explained. "The writing was on the wall when both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl publicly criticized the coaching this season. They then doubled down in their season postmortem, saying the Oilers' organization has 'taken big steps backward.'"
If the Oilers do fire Knoblauch, the 47-year-old instantly becomes a top candidate for any NHL job opening this offseason, just like Cassidy. Peter Laviolette is in that mix, too, since the former Rangers coach recently expressed a desire to "get after it again" after sitting out the past year following his dismissal in New York.
The Oilers (41-30-11) finished second in the Pacific Division this season. They were were bounced in six games of their best-of-7 first-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks . Last season, the Oilers lost in six games to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final; and the year prior, they dropped Game 7 of the Cup Final to the Panthers by the slimmest of margins, 2-1, despite McDavid being named Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoffs MVP.
It's safe to say that McDavid is not happy with the Oilers organization. This should pique the interest of the Rangers, for now and the future. McDavid can be an unrestricted free agent in 2028, and is a powerful enough figure that he could force his way out of Edmonton before then if he remains unhappy.
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Neither of those things guarantee the Rangers anything, of course. But if McDavid ever does move on, the Rangers must be in on it as best as they can.
As the phrase goes, "So, you're saying there a chance?"
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