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Instead of making a third straight run to the Stanley Cup Final, the Edmonton Oilers ultimately saw their season come to a close at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It marked the first time that the Oilers did not advance past the first round since their 2021 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, and also the first time since 2021 that they didn’t face the Los Angeles Kings. This time, it was the other team from Southern California that proved to be their undoing.

Since then, the Oilers have made a drastic change in leadership behind the bench, dismissing head coach Kris Knoblauch and assistant coach Mark Stuart after weeks of speculation following their postseason loss.

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman Reveals Real Reason Behind Edmonton Oilers Firing Kris Knoblauch

During a recent episode of Friedman’s popular “32 Thoughts” podcast, speculation arose that the real motivation for the firing of Knoblauch was because of the unhappiness of team owner Darryl Katz.

“Number one is the owner,” Friedman said. “I think Darryl Katz is really unhappy, I think he’s angry at the result this year, I think he’s angry at the way they played this year, and I think he made his displeasure clear. He was so upset at the way this season ended, I think he was a driving force. I don’t think you can underestimate the role he played in making his feelings clear that significant change needs to happen. There is great organizational pressure to win now for a lot of reasons, including the fact that Connor McDavid is only under contract for two more years. So, I think the owner’s feelings were a very, very big part of this.”

The Oilers are certainly in a “win now” mode, considering McDavid agreed to not only re-sign at an extremely team-friendly discount, but for a short two-year window. Needless to say, it’s up to GM Stan Bowman to make the most of this window, or the franchise could soon be facing their most painful departure since the stunning trade of Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988.

The Oilers Fired Kris Knoblauch Earlier This Week

Knoblauch, who replaced the fired Jay Woodcroft in the early goings of the 2023-24 NHL season, was let go by the Oilers along with assistant coach Mark Stuart.

“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,” said Stan Bowman, Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations and General Manager.

In a subsequent press conference, Bowman explained in further detail some of the reasons behind Knoblauch’s dismissal.

“We were kind of right around the middle all year long,” Bowman said. “So when we performed our analysis and our review about where we were heading as a team, we just felt that we needed a different voice to lead us to where we want to go.

“So a difficult decision without a doubt, but it was based on the way this entire year played out – not just small sections or the playoffs. It was really the total year.”