Edmonton Oilers

Kris Knoblauch Is Taking a Coaching Break: Smart or Silly?

Kris Knoblauch has stepped away after Edmonton. Is time off the best career move for a coach with a strong NHL reputation?

by
Old Prof
July 23, 2026

Kris Knoblauch is officially done in Edmonton (for now), and honestly, it feels like the Oilers didn’t waste any time once the 2025-26 season ended. He got fired on May 14, 2026, after that first-round playoff exit to the Anaheim Ducks. The interesting part is that he wasn’t exactly a “bad coach” story. Knoblauch took Edmonton to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in his first two full seasons. They lost both times to Florida, but still… that’s elite-level stuff. This year just didn’t go the same way, and the organization basically decided they needed a “different voice,” according to GM Stan Bowman.

What Does Knoblauch Do?

So where does Knoblauch go from here? The answer seems to be: not right away. Multiple reports (including TSN’s Ryan Rishaug) say he’s stepping away for the time being to spend time with his family, who recently relocated to Edmonton. And he’s not rushing into interviews, even though there are coaching openings around the league. That’s a pretty clear signal that he’s choosing downtime over scrambling, which I actually think is a smart decision.

The money part helps too. He’s still owed money from his contract extension—a three-year deal worth around $7.5 million total that kicked in this offseason. So if he decides to sit out a year, he’s not really under pressure to take the next available job just to get by. The Oilers are basically on the hook for that contract until he takes another NHL job. From a career strategy standpoint, that’s huge, because coaches sometimes get forced into mediocre situations when they feel like they “have” to go somewhere next.

Kris Knoblauch Edmonton Oilers — Kris Knoblauch, former coach of the Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers Have Moved on to Mike Babcock

Meanwhile, Edmonton already pivoted. They moved quickly and hired Mike Babcock as the new head coach in late June/early July after the NHL cleared him following a review of past issues. So it’s not like the Oilers are waiting around for Knoblauch to change his mind. They’ve got their guy, and they’re moving forward.

As of late July 2026, there aren’t really any new developments. Knoblauch is mostly out of the spotlight, just taking a breather after an intense run. He still has a legit reputation and a strong track record, so the expectation is he’ll resurface when he’s ready.