Visible Friction Brewing Between McDavid and the Oilers Coach

Connor McDavid was visibly frustrated on Monday night as the Edmonton Oilers lost 3-2 to the Buffalo Sabres. McDavid didn’t necessarily have his best game, but he was out there on the ice in the final minutes trying to produce when it mattered most and score the equalizer. His coach didn’t make his life any easier.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch inexplicably chose not to call a timeout in the final minutes when he had ample opportunities to do so. As a result, the Oilers couldn’t set up a play and McDavid, along with the rest of the scorers put out there to find a solution, were running out of gas.

McDavid’s reactions as the Oilers left the ice following the contest clearly showed that he was not thrilled.

Here's a frustrated and fed up Connor McDavid realizing his goaltending isn't good enough. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/1A7ZBbsZlS

— Brad Slater (@Iwantadonair) March 11, 2025

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No one likes to lose. And while credit should go to the Sabres, the Oilers certainly didn’t want to lose to a lowly Eastern Conference team that Edmonton should have beaten. McDavid and company need these wins to build momentum heading into the playoffs, and every loss eats away a little at what the group believes they can accomplish, especially against tougher teams.

What Is Going on with the Oilers Coach?

For Knoblauch, this is another example of his failure to read the situation effectively. At the start of the season, he couldn’t do anything wrong. His hunches and odd decisions worked, and he was praised. Now, those same strange decisions are backfiring.

Among them, Knoblauch has ineffectively juggled the lines, split up defense pairings that work, and benched players who haven’t been the issue. It’s led to a lousy record over the past handful of games and one has to wonder if this is starting to test McDavid’s patience.

The superstar is not the type of player who tells a coach how to do his job, but his body language is obvious. If Knoblauch is going to do anything right from this point forward, the most important thing is to understand what his top players need and want.

There is a wide gap between the team’s elite stars and the bottom half of the roster. The top six do almost all of the heavy lifting for the forwards, and that means they need their coach to make the right decision in the critical moments of a game. Knoblauch has struggled in that regard of late.

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