Oilers Quickly Name New Head Coach

 The Edmonton Oilers have acted quickly to name a replacement for deposed head coach Jay Woodcroft, announcing that Connor McDavid’s junior coach, Kris Knoblauch, is the new bench boss in Edmonton.

Knoblauch had been coaching the NY Rangers’ AHL team, the Hartford Wolf Pack. In addition, an Oilers legend, Paul Coffey, will join him as Assistant coach. 

The 45 year old Knoblauch has been a rising name in NHL coaching circles for a while now, and this will mark his first head coaching assignment. He is a former assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers. His past work with Oilers star McDavid while at Erie in juniors, will obviously be a positive for him right off the bat.

The Wolf Pack were 7-3-1 through their first 11 games. Knoblauch’s minor league and junior coaching record is a stellar 410-217-2. 

The Oilers have had a disastrous start to the season, at 3-9-1, after coming in as a top Stanley Cup contender. Their biggest problem has been goaltending, with a team save percentage of .864, by far the worst in the NHL. It’s hard to say that this coaching coach will address that bold-faced fact, but Knoblauch, with the Hall of Fame Defenseman Coffey at his side, will give it a shot.

 Photo: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports