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‘We believe these changes are needed’: Oilers issue statement after firing Knoblauch, Mark Stuart
Edmonton Oilers on the bench
Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Zach Laing
May 14, 2026, 11:00 EDTUpdated: May 14, 2026, 11:08 EDT
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The Edmonton Oilers have made the news official, firing head coach Kris Knoblauch and his assistant coach Mark Stuart.
Knoblauch’s name had been in the wind for two days, with news of the Oilers seeking permission to speak with former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy, but Stuart’s name hadn’t been involved, despite there being assumptions about the team cleaning house on the coaching staff.
Oilers general manager Stan Bowman issued a statement Thursday morning announcing the firings.
“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.”
Stuart, 42, had been with the Oilers as an assistant coach for four years, hired ahead of the 2022-23 season.
During an appearance on Oilersnation Everyday earlier this week, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta said part of what led to the coaching change was frustration from the players and the front office about Knoblauch’s tactics and line combinations.
“There’s been frustration in the room with how his tactics have been implemented,” said Pagnotta. “I think some frustration in how some guys have been deployed. I don’t have a full scope of it, but from what I’ve heard from some people in that room, there’s been some head scratching and some second-guessing as to the decision process.
“When you’re loading up Leon [Draisaitl] and Connor [McDavid], and you’ve got [Kasperi] Kapanen on the other side, it raised some eyebrows there.”
Bowman is expected to speak with the media at 10 a.m. MT Thursday morning, where there will likely be no lack of questions about what led to the coaching change, and how this week’s news came to be.
Stay tuned to Oilersnation.com for wall-to-wall coverage of the press conference.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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