Oilers’ Kris Knoblauch Puts Himself in Elite Company With Another Cup Final Appearance

Knoblauch was hired by the Oilers in the 2023-24 season after the team decided to move on from Jay Woodcroft, who had a 3-9-1 start. After coaching in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hartford Wolf Pack for parts of five seasons, he was given the promotion to the Oilers as he tried to bring them out of the bottom of the barrel. He was able to do more than that and has now brought them to the final playoff series for two straight seasons.

Despite losing some key pieces in the offseason and undergoing some massive changes, Knoblauch was still able to lead the Oilers to another successful campaign as they look for revenge on the team that defeated them last season. While some teams would chalk up two straight appearances in the Stanley Cup Final as a success, the Oilers are hoping they don’t have back-to-back heartbreaks and would likely see losing again as a failure.

Oilers Have Stronger Team This Season, but So Do Panthers

Some fans were worried that the Oilers may have gotten worse last summer, considering the losses of Warren Foegele, Cody Ceci, Philip Broberg, and Dylan Holloway. However, the Oilers were able to find great replacements in Vasily Podkolzin, Ty Emberson, Jake Walman, Trent Frederic, Jeff Skinner, and Viktor Arvidsson. They are a much deeper team than they were last season, and everyone in their lineup has elevated their game.

While the Oilers got stronger, so did the Panthers. Their biggest acquisition, without a doubt, was bringing in Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins at the 2025 Trade Deadline. Adding him to their lineup made the Panthers one of the scariest teams coming into the postseason, and he has fit perfectly alongside Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, as all three of them play a similar style of hockey and are tough to play against.

It also helps that Seth Jones, whom they also added closer to the trade deadline, has panned out well for them. He has improved defensively and has been a monster offensively, giving the Panthers confidence that he will be able to hold his own against a powerhouse Oilers team this time around.

At the end of the day, Knoblauch has been an incredible leader and a great voice behind the bench, helping the Oilers get to where they are. As fans around the league wait to see if we will have back-to-back champions, or if the Stanley Cup is going back to Canada, the Oilers continue to prepare for what will be the most important series of their playing careers.

As the 2024-25 postseason moves along, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news from around the NHL and the hockey world.