5/5 🧵 There’s politics here too. Edmonton reportedly tried to get permission to speak with Bruce Cassidy before the firing was official, which tells you the front office was already shopping for the next guy. GM Stan Bowman also making this call suggests he and hockey ops president Jeff Jackson are staying put. Knoblauch gets paid through 2028-29 under his extension unless another team hires him. Bottom line: the coach is gone, but the Oilers’ real problem is the same one it’s been for years — elite stars, shaky support, no Cup. 📎 Source
4/5 🧵 Those issues were ugly and obvious: defense and goaltending. The Oilers ranked 29th of 32 in save percentage this season at .883. Bowman’s goalie shuffle — bringing in Tristan Jarry and moving out Stuart Skinner — made things worse, not better. In the playoffs, Jarry and Connor Ingram combined for an .880 save percentage, worst in the postseason, while Edmonton allowed 4.33 goals per game, also dead last. That’ll get a coach fired even when the roster construction deserves a chunk of the blame.
3/5 🧵 The real indictment is bigger than one coach: Edmonton is now moving to its sixth coach since Connor McDavid entered the league in 2015. That’s absurd instability for a franchise with the best player on earth and another MVP beside him in Leon Draisaitl. Twelve seasons together without a title doesn’t scream “coaching problem only” — it screams organizational failure to solve the same structural issues.
2/5 🧵 Knoblauch’s actual record was strong. He took over in November 2023 after Jay Woodcroft was fired, made the playoffs 3 times, and went 166-96-24 overall. His .623 regular-season points percentage ranks sixth among active NHL coaches. So this wasn’t a “the coach lost the room” obituary. It was a front office deciding “good” isn’t good enough anymore.
1/5 🧵 Edmonton just did the most NHL thing imaginable: fire a coach who reached back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals because the team cratered in Round 1. Kris Knoblauch wasn’t axed for being terrible — he was axed because the Oilers still can’t turn McDavid/Draisaitl brilliance into a Cup.
5/5 🧵 There’s politics here too. Edmonton reportedly tried to get permission to speak with Bruce Cassidy before the firing was official, which tells you the front office was already shopping for the next guy. GM Stan Bowman also making this call suggests he and hockey ops president Jeff Jackson are staying put. Knoblauch gets paid through 2028-29 under his extension unless another team hires him. Bottom line: the coach is gone, but the Oilers’ real problem is the same one it’s been for years — elite stars, shaky support, no Cup. 📎 Source
#threadstorm
4/5 🧵 Those issues were ugly and obvious: defense and goaltending. The Oilers ranked 29th of 32 in save percentage this season at .883. Bowman’s goalie shuffle — bringing in Tristan Jarry and moving out Stuart Skinner — made things worse, not better. In the playoffs, Jarry and Connor Ingram combined for an .880 save percentage, worst in the postseason, while Edmonton allowed 4.33 goals per game, also dead last. That’ll get a coach fired even when the roster construction deserves a chunk of the blame.
3/5 🧵 The real indictment is bigger than one coach: Edmonton is now moving to its sixth coach since Connor McDavid entered the league in 2015. That’s absurd instability for a franchise with the best player on earth and another MVP beside him in Leon Draisaitl. Twelve seasons together without a title doesn’t scream “coaching problem only” — it screams organizational failure to solve the same structural issues.
2/5 🧵 Knoblauch’s actual record was strong. He took over in November 2023 after Jay Woodcroft was fired, made the playoffs 3 times, and went 166-96-24 overall. His .623 regular-season points percentage ranks sixth among active NHL coaches. So this wasn’t a “the coach lost the room” obituary. It was a front office deciding “good” isn’t good enough anymore.
1/5 🧵 Edmonton just did the most NHL thing imaginable: fire a coach who reached back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals because the team cratered in Round 1. Kris Knoblauch wasn’t axed for being terrible — he was axed because the Oilers still can’t turn McDavid/Draisaitl brilliance into a Cup.