Would it surprise you to learn that Kris Knoblauch was the fifth longest serving head coach in the Oilers' National Hockey League existence? Only Glen Sather, Ron Low, Craig Mactavish and Todd Mclellan spent more games behind the bench than the recently fired Knoblauch. He had the fourth most wins, and the third highest win percentage as well.
None of that was enough for him to remain employed, nor were two consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final. The rather unprofessional manner of his firing aside, the outcome doesn't mean firing Knoblauch was the wrong move. The team is looking to take a final step toward winning the Stanley Cup, and Knoblauch failed at that. But upgrading on Knoblauch's overall positive results means choosing the right successor as head coach.
Oilers tend to rush these things
Ralph Krueger was fired on June 8th, 2013 and Dallas Eakins was hired on June 10th. Eakins left his position on December 15th, 2015 and was immediately replaced by Todd Nelson. Nelson in turn was let go on May 19th, 2015 and Todd Mclellan hired that same day. November 20th, 2018 saw Mclellan go out and Ken Hitchcock arrive behind the bench.
Then, finally, there is a three week gap between Hitchcock's termination and Dave Tippett's onboarding on May 28, 2019. Tippett is replaced the day he's fired by Jay Woodcroft who is then replaced by Knoblauch, leading us up to today. There is a relatively clear need to have a coach behind the bench when a firing happens mid-season, but looking at this list, it doesn't particularly feel like the Oilers have ever done a proper search for a head coach during Connor McDavid's career.
Get it right
There are things to like about Bruce Cassidy, and other than the timing of the request, the desire to interview a recent Cup champion, who found a way to win with an offensively talented team, makes sense. But other coaches may shake loose this offseason. There are surely assistant coaches with talent and a desire to take the next step forward. Every available candidate should be interested in coaching players like McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Granted, there may be some who have watched Oilers management bungle salary cap and roster construction more years than not, as well as the specific handling of Knoblauch's exit, who prefer to look elsewhere. But there will be a pool of qualified candidates, and if Daryl Katz and Stan Bowman want to see McDavid retire as an Oiler, they're going to have to pick the right person this time around.
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