Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch is one of two coaches in team history to lead the team to more than one Stanley Cup Final. In losing both, he’s also the only coach to lose twice in the finals.

Knoblauch’s calling card since joining the team surrounds an ability to overcome problems and set course on impressive winning streaks. He needs one now. So far, the answers remain elusive.

For general manager Stan Bowman, this season has been both a headache and proof that the club is somewhat impervious to regular-season highs and lows. For as bad as the team has performed recently against teams like the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars, a playoff spot is just a small winning streak away. No one is worried about making the postseason. Yet.

During a time when the organization is casting about for a new goalie, and the team’s best players are confessing to having no answers to the current malaise, it’s appropriate to contemplate what kind of coach would be the best replacement should Knoblauch get shown the door.

Top candidates

Peter DeBoer’s final game (to this point) in the NHL as coach came against the Oilers in the spring. His Dallas Stars lost to Edmonton in the conference finals for the second year in a row. DeBoer and Dallas also lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the conference final in 2023, making it zero for three in the past three seasons.

DeBoer is the most likely target for Edmonton if it comes to replacing Knoblauch. His style married to the Oilers roster could produce fascinating results. His ability to coach a fast-break offence could be ideal in Edmonton, whose roster should be attractive to him as a coach. DeBoer is known for many innovations, including the deployment of more than one centre on a line and making sure a left- and right-shot are on each line, via Saad Yousuf at The Athletic. He has coached a team to one final, a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, while coaching the San Jose Sharks in 2016.

DeBoer would seem to be a less-than-ideal fit in terms of temperament. As Mark Lazerus at The Athletic described after DeBoer was fired in the spring, his fate was sealed in Dallas over the way he handled goaltender Jake Oettinger in the most recent playoff series against Edmonton. He’s an intense coach with a strong belief in his system, and that may not play with Edmonton’s elite, free-wheeling talent.

Then again, the absence of alternatives clears the mind. If management has an interest in DeBoer, there could be some urgency. He’s the most prominent currently available NHL coach without a job.

Peter Laviolette has enjoyed great coaching success in the NHL over 20-plus seasons with various teams. He led the Carolina Hurricanes to the 2006 Stanley Cup and made the final with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and Nashville Predators in 2017. He didn’t reach the final in his most recent stop with the New York Rangers, stalling out in the third round of the 2023 postseason.

Laviolette’s reputation took a hit in Manhattan, but he has legit strengths as a coach that could help Edmonton. Laviolette arrives with a flourish and often improves his team’s goals-for and against immediately. Here’s a list of his first teams (first full season) in several NHL cities, with goal share compared to the previous year for each club.

YearTeamGoal Diff.Previous Yr

2001-02

NYI

Plus 19

Minus 83

2005-06

Carolina

Plus 28

Minus 37

2010-11

Philadelphia

Plus 40

Plus 10

2014-15

Nashville

Plus 24

Minus 19

2020-21

Washington

Plus 27

Plus 24

2023-24

NYR

Plus 52

Plus 57

via hockey-reference

Laviolette makes an immediate positive impact and gets outscoring results. As time wears on, the system erodes, and he moves on to another NHL city.

Can Laviolette’s 1-3-1 system work with this high-powered Oilers team? Could he ignite the roster on a glorious run to the Stanley Cup? It would be ironic for the man who won the 2006 championship by guiding the Hurricanes past Edmonton to lead the other side to victory 20 years later. Like DeBoer, Laviolette isn’t regarded as a player’s coach, as indicated in this article by Arthur Staple at The Athletic.

Secondary candidate

Jay Woodcroft is currently an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks. The club is enjoying an upswing in fortune, and Woodcroft’s innovations are no doubt helping Joel Quenneville’s team.

Woodcroft is known to the veteran Oilers. He coached the team for one full season and parts of two others.

In 2022-23, Connor McDavid scored 64 goals, Leon Draisaitl 52, with both Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman posting over 35 goals as the Oilers walked to a 50-win season. The average NHL team scored 258 goals that season, with the Oilers delivering a massive 325, an outstanding 67 goals above average.

There’s zero evidence of interest from either side, but Woodcroft was fired at a time when Edmonton’s underlying numbers indicated a turnaround was imminent. Knoblauch benefited from the spike, but the indicators were there before the change. Woodcroft’s offensive strategies helped take McDavid and Draisaitl to new heights.

Will the Oilers fire Knoblauch?

At this point, the possibility of making a change at head coach has entered the chat in Edmonton. That’s a long distance from firing Knoblauch, especially considering he was just signed to an extension in October. Owner Daryl Katz has spent a lot of money on coaches and general managers over the years. There’s going to be an appetite to let this play out with Knoblauch at the helm.

On the other hand, things are bad. The coach is expected to get optimal performances from across the roster, and Edmonton’s top players haven’t played their best this season. Daniel Nugent-Bowman at The Athletic released a 25-game report card that includes several C’s, a few D’s and even an F. This is a Stanley Cup finalist two years running, and the expectation is a deep run in 2026.

At this point in the season, there’s plenty of time for Knoblauch to turn things around. If the Oilers reach the midway point of the 2025-26 season in the same malaise, the whispers may grow to a scream. DeBoer would be the favourite to take the job, Woodcroft would be an outlier option who might ignite the offence. He’s done it before.