5 Oilers Head Coach Candidates After Kris Knoblauch Firing

Things for the Edmonton Oilers are messier than the aftermath of a 5-year-old’s birthday party.

Despite leading the Oilers to consecutive Stanley Cup Finals and consistently being among the Stanley Cup odds favourites at the BetMGM sportsbook, Knoblauch fell tragically short of achieving the team’s goal in 2025-26. 

While Knoblauch isn’t solely responsible for the Oilers’ abject derailment, head coaches are usually the first to be ushered off the premises. 

Now that the Oilers have fired Knoblauch, who should replace him? 

Oilers Head Coaching Targets if Edmonton Fires Kris Knoblauch

The Oilers need a coach with pedigree and a track record of success, preferably someone who has won a Stanley Cup. 

Ken Hitchcock is the only Oilers head coach to win a Stanley Cup since the franchise last captured the ultimate prize in 1990. 

He steered the Dallas Stars to glory in 1990, but was only in charge of the Oilers for 62 games during the 2018-19 season before being axed.

5. Bruce Boudreau

My first choice for the No. 5 spot would be Gerard Gallant, had his health not recently come into question. He left his position as the KHL’s Shanghai Dragons head coach in January because of an illness he was battling.

Gallant won the Jack Adams Award in 2017-18 and led the Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final. He also elicited the best from the Rangers in 2021-22, taking the Blueshirts to the Eastern Conference final, where they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

That takes me to Bruce Boudreau, who enjoyed some terrific regular seasons behind the bench.

Known for instilling confidence and building iron-clad camaraderie, Boudreau led the Anaheim Ducks to the 2015 Western Conference final, where they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks. 

However, his lack of playoff success will likely rule him out of contention. 

4. Dan Bylsma 

It has been a long time since Dan Bylsma tasted ultimate success as an NHL head coach, winning the Stanley Cup in 2008-09 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

He led Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Chris Letang to glory, though the extent of Bylsma’s influence is up for debate. All three superstars were in their prime, and the Pens had reached the Stanley Cup Final the previous season under Michel Therrien’s tutelage.

That said, he would enter into familiar territory, with Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and Evan Bouchard still in their primes, albeit just. 

3. Peter Laviolette

It’s been even longer since Peter Laviolette lifted the Cup, propelling the Carolina Hurricanes to glory in 2006. 

Laviolette also took the Philadelphia Flyers and the Nashville Predators to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010 and 2017, respectively. 

He had some recent success, too, coaching the New York Rangers to the Presidents’ Trophy in 2024 before falling in the Eastern Conference final to the eventual champion, the Florida Panthers. 

The Panthers toppled the Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final. 

2. Paul Coffey

One of two candidates on the list who hasn’t won a Stanley Cup as a head coach, Coffey, more than offsets it with four Stanley Cups as a player, three with the Oilers. 

Coffey has been an assistant coach with the Oilers since about two months into the 2023-24 season. The legendary Oiler was instrumental in turning that season around by markedly improving the team’s defensive play.

As the only one without head coaching experience, he is the outlier. However, his venerable history with the Oilers, combined with the fact that he’s been to the dance twice in the last three years as Knoblauch’s assistant, makes him more than qualified. 

1. Bruce Cassidy

If I were the Oilers, I’d snap up Bruce Cassidy before another team does. Cassidy brought the Stanley Cup to Sin City in 2023, their first as a franchise. 

He also did a bang-up job in Boston, leading the Bruins to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the St. Louis Blues in seven games. David Pastrnak recently said Cassidy was influential in his development when he entered the league. 

He was dismissed by the Golden Knights with only eight games remaining in the 2025-26 campaign, joining a select few coaches fired late in a regular season.

That won’t detract possible suitors, though, as Cassidy is respected by players league-wide and is the most highly coveted unemployed bench boss.

It should be noted that, as of May 14, there’s chatter that Vegas is denying Edmonton permission to talk to Cassidy because he’s still under contract with the team despite the firing.