The Edmonton Oilers are set to exit the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics break next week and if you forget from the excitement of the Olympics, things are not exactly going well for them.
The club dropped three straight games heading into the Olympic break and are in what felt like a freefall as fans call for the head of the Oilers coach, Kris Knoblauch. Even Oilers star Leon Draisaitl called out their coaching staff saying that the "blame starts with the coaches" in his postgame availability before heading into the break.
This sentiment is something that appears to be echoed by some insiders and NHL analysts. Specifically, Sportsnet insider Nick Kypreos threw out the idea on a recent episode of Real Kyper and Bourne that Knoblauch may not last long as Oilers head coach.
Oilers' Knoblauch could be on the hot seat
As Kypreos put it "I don't see a world where Knoblauch's long for this job." Using Draisaitl's callout, the return of Paul Coffey behind the Oilers bench, and the stakes of needing to win a Stanley Cup or bust as the supporting arguments.
"Your player [Draisaitl] calls you out, and then maybe you're told that you gotta go get Paul Coffey back on your bench. Like, you gotta turn this thing into a Stanley Cup winning season here, or I don't see a world where Knoblauch's back." This quote is quite damning from a well connected and relatively well respected NHL insider and likely not something that he would just say without some form of conviction. Of course, it is still stated as his opinion.
There is a popular narrative that Kypreos references in his quote that Knoblauch begrudgingly brought Coffey back into the mix and did not want to share the bench with him. The presumption is that there was some form of conflict and a rift forming behind the bench last season, causing Coffey to be 'kicked upstairs'.
Oilers have struggled this season
Now, the Oilers have seen themselves struggling throughout the season with Coffey gone. They were outside of a playoff spot by the quarter mark and now the Oilers are holding onto a Pacific Division playoff spot by the skin of their teeth. The club has had goaltending issues, defensive problems, and have struggled to get offence from their depth.
In addition to all of this, there are also reports that Oilers general manager Stan Bowman and Knoblauch are at odds. If this is true, it adds even more validity to the idea that Knoblauch's job may very well be on the line.
Whether it is Knoblauch, an upgrade on the blueline or adding a depth forward, one thing is certain. The Oilers will need to make changes, in one way or another.