Older comment suggests room for knoblauch lost oilers preseason kick off – hockey writers –

There was a lot more pressure on the Edmonton Oilers going into tonight’s game in Edmonton looking at the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s not often you expect a game in mid-November to be so important for a team returning to the Stanley Cup Finals, but that’s exactly where the Oilers found themselves at the start of the 2025-26 season.

The Oilers, however, are starting to go less than stellar this season. There are already plenty of concerns for this team, and that increased to a whole different level after getting 9-1 by the Colorado Avalanche over the weekend.

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A big response was needed to restore any kind of confidence to the fan base, and although it wasn’t great, the Oilers were able to take a long 5-4 win. That said, it was a game where they trailed 3-1 and 4-2, and were only able to tie it with four minutes of regulation time on a stoppage goal from Jake Walman. Two points is two points, but it was another sign that this team is lost right now, and they may be getting frustrated with the voices behind the bench.

Knoblauch could be in trouble

There are few jobs less demanding than that of a head coach at the NHL level. It is much easier to replace the trainer than the rest of the system, which leads to the shelf life of the trainer to be very short. So why do we have this interview with Kris Knoblauch, the man who helped lead the Oilers back to the fan-favorites going back to his early days behind the bench.

Worth noting is that Knoblauch is in his third season behind the Oilers Bench. Jay Woodcroft was fired in his third season with the oil, as was Dave Tippett. For whatever reason, this team seems to need that one three-year mark, which Knoblauch has been given this year.

While many are surprised to hear the questions surrounding Knoblauch’s future, there were more hints he was being held by the dressing room before the season. Take Connor McDavid’s quotes after the season finale loss, where he seemed frustrated and frustrated with his team’s inability to change their systems against the Florida Panthers.

“Their expansion was good. They set up the rink and were able to stay all over us,” McDavid said. “We were never able to generate ice up there. We kept trying the same thing over and over again, they just put our heads in the wall. They played well, they played well.”

The fact that he’s talking about trying the same thing and seemingly the Oilers have been consistent throughout the series, which would have made a lot of sense how quickly the Panthers were able to take over and close in six games.

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17 games in, it still feels like the Oilers are trying to find a new way to find consistent success. Admittedly, that’s not all for Knoblauch, because there have been many personnel changes within the dressing room. At the end of the day, though, it’s up to Him as the head coach to figure out how to make it work.

The Oilers are a desirable organization

This was done in vain with the intention of taking away from all the good Knoblauch had done. He has proven to be a very good coach and, if he is fired, he will likely find an opportunity elsewhere. That said, the Oilers don’t have time to sit around and wait for things to improve. Desperate, they understand they could be just a few cracks away from getting McDavid his Stanley Cup. If they can’t get rolling soon, Knoblauch could be the man in the ban in an attempt to turn things around.