The Edmonton Oilers have been struggling as they approach the Olympic break, and things got worse with a defeat in Calgary on Wednesday.
This loss caused Leon Draisaitl to express his disappointment about many issues, such as the team’s defense, special teams play, goalkeeping, and coaching.
His remarks caught a lot of people’s attention and sparked more discussions across the league regarding Kris Knoblauch’s position. Although it doesn’t seem like a coaching change will happen soon, people are still talking about who could take his place if that ever happens, with experienced coach Peter DeBoer being mentioned as a possible option.
On a recent episode of The Sheet, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski and insider Jeff Marek talked about Draisaitl’s comments after the game and the possibility of DeBoer coaching the Oilers.
Wyshynski asked:
“By the way, when Leon Draisaitl said the coaches need to improve, how many texts do you think Pete DeBoer got? Did his phone go crazy? Is it still buzzing? ”
Marek replied:
“It’s interesting because there’s been a lot recently in local news and among fans about how the main players are being used too much and getting tired. They are getting too much ice time while the other guys aren’t getting enough. The thing about Pete DeBoer is that, when managing players, in his recent job in Dallas, his forwards didn’t play less than 10 minutes a game and nobody played more than 20.”
DeBoer, who is 57 years old, is not currently coaching in the NHL since he was let go from his job as the head coach of the Dallas Stars last summer after three years. However, he is going to be in the spotlight again as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Kris Knoblauch’s Position is Becoming Risky
As if losing on Wednesday night didn’t make things worse, there were already reports suggesting that Knoblauch’s position was becoming shaky before the game.
Even before the loss to the Flames, TSN insider Darren Dreger mentioned that the pressure on Knoblauch was going to increase. Now, with the defeat in Calgary and one of the team’s star players feeling frustrated afterwards, the pressure has grown even more.
As long as Connor McDavid and Draisaitl are playing in Edmonton, everyone expects them to win a Stanley Cup. Nowadays, when a team is not doing well, coaches are often the first ones to be replaced. Teams are quick to make these changes, which the Oilers experienced when they let go of their previous coach, Jay Woodcroft, after only 133 regular-season games.
To put this in perspective, Knoblauch has been the coach for 209 games now. This means that if the team doesn’t start winning soon after the Olympic break, he might also be at risk of losing his job.
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