According to reports out of Edmonton, the Oilers and head coach Kris Knoblauch have come to terms on a multi-year contract extension Friday.
Knoblauch, who was set to enter the 2025-26 NHL campaign on an expiring deal, will now be tied to the franchise for the foreseeable future. The signing also represents another step forward in the clubs attempts to entice Connor McDavid to ink a multi-year extension as well.
Across 2 seasons in Edmonton, the 47 year old sports a 94-47-10 record behind the bench, and has guided the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances.
McDavid and Knoblauch are no strangers to one another, with the all-world forward having played for Knoblauch in the OHL with the Erie Otters. It was also rumoured that McDavid helped lobby for his hiring after Jay Woodcroft was let go back in 2023.
The deal comes on the heels of GM Stan Bowman’s comments hinting that a new contract was on the horizon at Thursday’s press conference.
“We are working on Kris’ deal,” said Bowman. “We’re not at the end of it yet, but I’m confident we’re going to get there, and we’re very aligned on that. I don’t think it’s as hard as people make it out to be. It’s not like I’m going to see things much differently than he’s going to see things.”
Part of Knoblauch’s skillset is in developing young players, while also being able to relate to veteran members of his teams as well. The former will be especially important this season as the club looks to integrate Matt Savoie and Isaac Howard into prominent roles for the team this fall.
The Oilers have their final preseason game on Friday night against the Vancouver Canucks, before kicking things off for real on Wednesday against the Calgary Flames.
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