A lot more was going on with the Edmonton Oilers last season than we were led to believe.

The team fired head coach Kris Knoblauch and assistant Mark Stuart on May 14, and it was GM Stan Bowman who announced the firing: “Following a thorough review of this past season, we believe these changes are needed,” said Bowman. “We are grateful for the contributions both Kris and Mark have made to our organization, and we wish them the best moving forward.”

The Oilers’ former head coach was a sought-after coach when he was hired. He was coaching the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL,  the New York Rangers’ farm team. His relationship with the players in Edmonton started well, and he had history coaching Connor McDavid in the OHL.

Knoblauch is an introverted, calm individual. He’s not an old-school coach; he doesn’t get overly emotional and maintains an even keel. Together, he and the Oilers’ players had success and reached back-to-back Stanley Cup finals and in 233 regular-season games, the Oilers went 135-77-21 under Knoblauch. However, his relationship with the team leaders looks like it deteriorated behind the scenes. Over the last year or so, several revealing quotes have come from the Oilers’ leadership group. Let’s take a look at what players have said publicly.

Connor McDavid after second loss in finals to Florida – June 17, 2025

“Their forecheck was great. They tilted the rink and were able to stay on top of us all over the place,” McDavid said. “We were never really able to generate any momentum up the ice. We kept trying the same thing over and over again, just banging our heads against the wall. Credit to them, they played well.”

The player-coach relationship began to head south a while ago. McDavid was unhappy about coaching decisions in the loss to the Panthers. He was frustrated that their coaches continued to use the same tactics. However, management remained patient and went into the next season with Knoblauch at the helm.

Leon Draisaitl following an embarrassing loss to the Calgary Flames – Feb. 5, 2026

“We’re not consistent enough, and this league’s too hard to just lollygag through games and try to get winning streaks going.” He added, “You need everybody. It starts with the coaches — like, everybody.”

Draisaitl bluntly calls out the team and specifically the coaching staff. This was the boldest quote from any player since Knoblauch was hired. NHL players rarely call out their own coach in the locker room. The Oiler’s assistant captain was sending a loud message to management and ownership.

Connor McDavid after a bad loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning – March 12, 2026

“They have a great system, they’re perfectly coached,” he said. “They all know what they’re doing all over the ice. It’s impressive. They’re a great team. They’re extremely well-coached, they’re extremely well-organized. They’re very rehearsed in everything they do.”

McDavid seemed to be comparing Tampa’s coach Jon Cooper to Knoblauch. No. 97 had just been coached by Cooper at the 2026 Winter Olympics in........

© Oilers Nation