The Oilers’ bench boss finished 13th on the NHL’s head coach power rankings before the 2024-25 season.
The best from behind the bench. 🫡
See full list from @NHLdotcom here: https://t.co/1vELrvD9bn pic.twitter.com/FxhBMmDCok
— NHL (@NHL) September 5, 2024
Although Kris Knoblauch finished in the bottom half of the NHL’s Super 16 list, he still managed to place ahead of the likes of Sheldon Keefe while finishing just behind Craig Berube. Meanwhile, Jon Cooper topped the list while recent Cup-winning coach Paul Maurice finished as the runner-up.
It seems surprising to see Knoblauch rank so lowly on this list given the incredible debut season he had running Edmonton’s bench. After all, he helped turn around their fortunes from a 2-9-1 start that saw Jay Woodcroft given the pink slip to a second-place finish in the Pacific Division which included a 16-game win streak.
The success carried over into the playoffs where he constantly made bold roster moves and almost always got it right to get the most out of his team. It helped make the Oilers the fourth team ever to reach the conference finals after being 10 points out of a playoff spot during the year and later a birth in the Finals. The Stanley Cup Final nearly saw a comeback for the ages as Edmonton overcame a 3-0 series deficit to force Game 7 before falling two goals short of the ultimate prize.
One could argue that Knoblauch needs to continue that success for another year or two before he climbs to the upper half of the list because he does not have a full season under his belt yet. But he has proven to be a winner wherever he has coached, with at least one deep playoff run in each of his stops ranging from junior to the NHL.
Simply put, it is understandable why Oilers fans will feel that Knoblauch was slighted on the NHL’s rankings because of how well things went for him in 2023-24. Being mere months removed from coming so close to hoisting the Cup and the team extremely motivated to get back to the Final, he could soon propel himself into the top 10 and perhaps even higher where the Edmonton faithful understandably think he should place.
Not that the Oilers needed any more fuel added to their fire, but here is another thing that will give them an additional push to prove people wrong.
