What Does Kris Knoblauch Think of the Bruce Cassidy Firing?

If anyone had to predict one week ago which Pacific Division team could make a late-season coaching change, most would have said the Edmonton Oilers. Instead, it was their rivals—whom they just might face in the first round of the playoffs—in the Vegas Golden Knights, swapping out Bruce Cassidy for John Tortorella.

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The Golden Knights’ bold move to replace a coach who led them to a Stanley Cup championship not long ago (2022–23) has been the talk of the hockey world. Because of that, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch was asked about it during his media availability on Monday, to which he discussed what differences he expects from Vegas moving forward, as well as the shelf life of coaches in the NHL as a whole.

Knoblauch said:

“Well first of all Bruce is a tremendous coach and you look at his track record and the amount of winning he’s been doing and um, Vegas, not in a position that they’d like where they are. I think there are a lot of circumstances why they are in that situation. And sometimes you just need a change and certainly don’t think it was, anyways, it’s a difficult situation. I assume they’ll be changing their style up a little bit obviously they have their players the amount of time they have in their season it’s not going to change a whole lot. But it’ll probably give them a boost and they’ll have a lot of urgency to get into the playoffs. Because similar to us the season’s winding down and you are very, you know, those games are important and Vegas they are a good team.

I think every situation is different so I’m all pro of keeping coaches as long as possible,”

The 47-year-old Knoblauch’s three-year extension signed with the Oilers in October doesn’t kick in until the start of the 2026-27 season and runs through the 2028-29 campaign.

While it appeared as if Knoblauch’s seat was heating up after a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning—which Connor McDavid followed up by praising Jon Cooper and seemingly throwing shade at his own coaching staff—a three-game winning streak has since put that to rest, for now.

Barring something unforeseen, Knoblauch will lead Edmonton into the playoffs for a third straight season and hope to take them to the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive year—and this time, win it. If they aren’t able to do that, however, questions about his future behind the Oilers’ bench will inevitably arise heading into the offseason.

Next: Maple Leafs, Oilers Seen as Early Fits for Bruce Cassidy