Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch Angers Fans With New Comments on Goaltending
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Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch recently said he will look for ways to push his goalies to make them better next season, which has angered the fans.
The Edmonton Oilers reshaped the coaching staff around head coach Kris Knoblauch this offseason, with Hall of Fame defenceman Paul Coffey transitioning from behind the bench to return to his previous role as a senior adviser to ownership and hockey operations.
Paul McFarland has been added to the staff to direct the power play, a role Glen Gulutzan left to become the head coach of the Dallas Stars.
Peter Aubry replaces long-time staffer Dustin Schwartz as goaltending coach, and Connor Allen was hired to work on player skills development.
The Oilers lacked consistency in their next last season
Inconsistency in goal was a narrative throughout Edmonton's playoff stretch. Stuart Skinner played 15 of 24 playoff games, but Calvin Pickard took six consecutive at one stage.
The Oilers are looking to 48-year-old Aubry, previously a coach at Nebraska-Omaha and in the Chicago Blackhawks organization, for stability in net, and Kris Knoblauch stated that he hopes the team's goalies can be pushed to do better.
"It was a very, very difficult decision to make that change, but in the organization, we're always looking at ways that we can get better," Knoblauch explained.
"We're looking for ways to push our goaltenders and make them better. There's times where they're exceptional. There's other times where we were wanting a little bit more from them. With Peter, he'll be able to push those guys and bring a different perspective and hopefully, elevate them to get those guys to play at their best more often."
"We're looking for ways to push our goaltenders and make them better. There's times where they're exceptional. There's other times where we were wanting a little bit more from them. With Peter, he'll be able to push those guys and bring a different perspective and hopefully, elevate them to get those guys to play at their best more often."
These comments angered fans, as many had hoped there would be a total overhaul in net for next season, which doesn't appear to be the case.
Edmonton has made it to the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive years but lost on both occasions, losing to Florida in seven games in 2024 and six in 2025.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 15 | 455 ANSWERS Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch Angers Fans With New Comments on Goaltending Do the Oilers need a fresh face in goal? | ||
| Yes | 398 | 87.5 % |
| No | 57 | 12.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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