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Stan Bowman Oilers

Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman has issued a statement confirming the team fired head coach Kris Knoblauch on Thursday.

After reports broke on social media Thursday morning that Edmonton fired Knoblach after nearly three seasons as the Oilers’ head coach, the team officially confirmed the news. In addition to relieving Knoblauch of his duties as the team’s head coach, assistant coach Mark Stuart — a former NHL defenseman for the Boston Bruins and Winnipeg Jets — has also been fired.

Stan Bowman Issues Statement After Oilers Fire Kris Knoblauch

After announcing that the Oilers have fired Knoblauch and Stuart, Bowman issued a statement.

“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,” Bowman said in his statement.

The Oilers lost in the first round of the playoffs this year to the Anaheim Ducks, which was a quick end to their season after they went to the Stanley Cup Finals the last two years. Although they lost two years in a row to the Florida Panthers in the finals, the fact that they made it that far in the playoffs earned Knoblauch a three-year contract extension. However, now that he has been fired by the Oilers, he won’t get to see that contract through, and instead, Knoblauch is on the unemployment line looking for a new job. That being said, he proved in his three seasons in Edmonton that he is a quality head coach at the NHL level, so it’s possible teams with open head coaching vacancies, like the Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs, could express interest.

Oilers Linked to Bruce Cassidy

The Oilers have already been linked to former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy, who won the Stanley Cup with them in 2023. After the Golden Knights struggled in the second half of the season this year, the Golden Knights fired Cassidy in late March with just four games to go in the regular season. Despite firing him, however, they still technically have Cassidy under contract, and reports have emerged so far that the Golden Knights are blocking the Oilers’ attempts to interview their former head coach.

Typically, when a coach is fired, the team that let him go won’t hold them back from looking for a new job, so it’s atypical that the Golden Knights are reluctant to let Edmonton talk to him. That being said, they are Pacific Division rivals, so perhaps they would rather Cassidy go to another division instead. That being said, if Cassidy does want the job in Edmonton, the Golden Knights will likely eventually agree to let him talk to the Oilers, even reluctantly, as the team looks to bring in a new head coach.

After firing Knoblauch, the clock is now ticking on Bowman, who needs to show Oilers nation that he knows what he’s doing in the front office. If the Oilers have another bad year, then look for Bowman to be the next one fired.