Oilers expected to fire head coach Kris Knoblauch Wednesday

Edmonton Oilers Kris Knoblauch James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports

Oilers expected to fire head coach Kris Knoblauch Wednesday

Originally posted on Oilersnation | By Zach Laing | Last updated May 13, 2026 2:00 PM ET

The Edmonton Oilers appear ready to rip off the band-aid and make it official, removing Kris Knoblauch from his post as head coach.

It comes amid an awkward time for the team, a day after word leaked out that the team had tried to get permission to speak with Bruce Cassidy, only to be stalled by the Vegas Golden Knights.

The news sent shockwaves through the hockey world, with the Oilers getting flak for their unprofessional handling of Knoblauch, while others took aim at the Golden Knights for their petty delay in granting permission to not only the Oilers, but L.A. Kings, too.

And now, late Wednesday morning, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reported the Oilers are expected to announce Knoblauch’s firing by “day’s end.”

As of this moment — 11:37 a.m. MT — Kris Knoblauch has not been fired by the Edmonton Oilers.
We are expecting that to happen however, likely by day's end.

— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) May 13, 2026

It will mark the end of an up-and-down, two-and-a-half-year tenure as head coach of the Oilers. Hired in Nov. 2024 to take over from Jay Woodcroft, Knoblauch helped the team reach two straight Stanley Cup Finals, only to fall in both to the Florida Panthers.

But this season, the Oilers took a significant step back, finishing with the lowest points percentage since the 2018-19 season when the team last failed to make the playoffs. A monotonous regular season in which nobody could find ways to motivate the team carried into the playoffs, where the Oilers were dispatched in six games by the Anaheim Ducks.

The Oilers conducted a deep dive into the organization, and now, changes are expected. The team is seemingly hot for Cassidy to take over as head coach, but there are other options available, and the team is reportedly set to shuffle the front office, too. It’s unknown when those changes will be put in place.

Knoblauch will finish his tenure with the second-best regular-season points percentage in franchise history, the fourth-most wins in franchise history, the third-best playoff win-loss percentage, and the second-most playoff wins.

This article first appeared on Oilersnation and was syndicated with permission.

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