It’s That Time Again

Is it time for a coaching change?


  • Total voters
    83
  • Poll closed .
Oct 15, 2008
40,579
5,909
Well I think it’s that time again. Whatever secret sauce Kris Knoblauch had last year has run out and he has no answer. Special teams are at or near the bottom of the league as is goal scoring, goaltending and defence are not good enough. What say you?
 

Soundwave

Registered User
Mar 1, 2007
75,037
31,315
i
 

Jimmi McJenkins

Sometimes miracles
Jan 12, 2006
79,374
42,705
Alberta
No Knoblauch is fine, the team still plays a better brand of hockey and doesn't look useless and helpless like last year under Woodcroft, and Tippett was just well past his best before.


They need to get back to the things they did last year, and I suspect they will, but frustration and anger is warranted.
 
Last edited:

VeteranPresence

Registered User
Aug 13, 2024
716
1,155
Schwartz should be gone, if for no other reason than it might give this group a kick in the ass that no one is truly safe. RNH needs to be moved down to 4C, still zero personal accountability there based on his play and post-game comments last night. Ryan is done as a regular NHL player and Knob needs to make the right and not emotional decision there by pushing him to 13th F.

Otherwise the team needs a third goalie so Skinner can be banished to the press box until he fixes his head, and a true top four D to push one of Dermott/Stecher out of there. Bowman standing pat is indefensible, if he continues doing his best Bobby Nicks "forensic analysis" impression and the team is out of the playoffs by Thanksgiving, he should be fired and that will his end NHL career for good.
 

Soundwave

Registered User
Mar 1, 2007
75,037
31,315
I'd sooner trade the core and start over with a fresh room and new culture than fire the coach at this point.

Absolutely foolish to think that coach #6 in the McDavid/Draisaitl era would make a lick of difference.

Well the last two "fire coach, jump start the team" did work. It's embarrassing to keep doing it, but it does work with this group.

Quennville probably would work.

I'm not saying they should do it, but I'm just saying he probably would give this team a swift kick in the ass and get them going.
 

russ99

Registered User
Jun 9, 2011
3,975
2,973
I’d have a lot more hope in Knoblauch turning things around if he actually made system changes to give our guys a chance to break out of the funk, rather than run the same offense and PP that everyone knows how to beat from video scouting. Not to mention that there seems to be no accountability and it’s just “we’ll clean it up next game”.

How many coaches has it been now? The player group has the biggest responsibility to wake up, play hard and compete rather than sloppily going through the motions because their favorite way to play doesn’t work anymore.

But how do you get there? The core all have NMCs, replacing the coach seems the only real lever, and frankly I’m tired of players coaches, maybe try a hard ass…
 
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Messrules11

6 Cups, elbows up.
Nov 23, 2018
5,840
6,738
I don’t want a coach that puts no value on hitting and intimidation, like has any NHL coach ever stated this and kept his job? My guess is a big fat NOPE.
 
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tardigrade81

Registered User
Jun 12, 2019
17,862
23,560
Saskatchewan
No

It shouldn't take a new coach every year to light a fire under these guys. We were 6-3-1 coming into last night. We weren't playing bad. I still think we get hot and turn it around at some point. We might not win the division but probably second or third or wild card. I don't think changing a coach will do any good, especially when the one we have took us to the Stanley cup final a year ago.
 
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Soundwave

Registered User
Mar 1, 2007
75,037
31,315
No

It shouldn't take a new coach every year to light a fire under these guys. We were 6-3-1 coming into last night. We weren't playing bad. I still think we get hot and turn it around at some point. We might not win the division but probably second or third or wild card. I don't think changing a coach will do any good, especially when the one we have took us to the Stanley cup final a year ago.

Every young Oilers head coach who gets a taste of success in the playoffs and then figures he can "take it easy on the boys in preseason". Team then proceeds to play pre-season hockey for the next 8 weeks.

200.webp


Knob fell into the same trap as Woodcroft, hook, line, and sinker.
 

5 Mins 4 Ftg

Life is better with no expectations.
Sponsor
Apr 3, 2016
52,491
91,619
Edmonton
The shine seems to have worn off, but this is a team composition issue in my opinion. I think the moves JJ made this summer have backfired spectacularly, coupled with the offer sheet losses and add in terribly inconsistent goaltending have served to completely undermined this team.

If the answer does lie in coaching, then McDavid can truly be labelled as perhaps the biggest coach killer in hockey history.
 

McFlash97

Registered User
Oct 10, 2017
7,909
7,213
Schwartz should be gone, if for no other reason than it might give this group a kick in the ass that no one is truly safe. RNH needs to be moved down to 4C, still zero personal accountability there based on his play and post-game comments last night. Ryan is done as a regular NHL player and Knob needs to make the right and not emotional decision there by pushing him to 13th F.

Otherwise the team needs a third goalie so Skinner can be banished to the press box until he fixes his head, and a true top four D to push one of Dermott/Stecher out of there. Bowman standing pat is indefensible, if he continues doing his best Bobby Nicks "forensic analysis" impression and the team is out of the playoffs by Thanksgiving, he should be fired and that will his end NHL career for good.
My only wish is Bowman is fired and never finds another job in the NHL again. His indefensible moves when the offer sheets came in sank this season thus far. The guy is an idiot. There is no defending the amount of stupid you have to be to not match neither and go get minor league turds as replacements
 
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oobga

Tier 2 Fan
Aug 1, 2003
25,221
21,686
Sorry Knob. I like you. But this kind of tradition has existed in human cultures since the beginning of time. Sometimes it was to bring rain. Sometimes to end a plague. Sometimes just to a leader of a community could have a little fun. For the Oilers, it's to stop the team from being a bunch of lazy turds. You must go sir.
 
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TheNumber4

Registered User
Nov 11, 2011
47,103
58,572
Dumbest thread ever. The Team is actually playing well, the system is working, we are suppressing shots and generating shots. We aren't even CLOSE to panic mode, going by how the team is PLAYING. I have no doubt the results will follow. I like what I'm seeing out there these last 2 weeks, despite the losses.
 

LevelingSolo

Registered User
Jan 15, 2012
4,875
6,631
No, gotta stop blaming the coach, KK just got this group to a goal away from a championship

If this season really goes south then you evaluate at the end of the year, but I would hope that includes management as well

Regarding Quenneville, apparently him and Bowman hate each other so that wouldn’t be happening
 

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