NHL insider Darren Dreger believes that the Toronto Maple Leafs could be interested in former Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch.
The Oilers announced on Thursday that they fired Knoblauch after nearly three seasons as the Oilers’ head coach. After two straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances, albeit losing both years to the Florida Panthers, the Oilers lost in the first round to the Anaheim Ducks this season in an upset. That led to the team taking a long, hard look at Knoblauch’s position, and after thinking things over, Oilers general manager Stan Bowman decided to fire him.
Knoblauch had three years left on his contract, so he is in no rush to get back to work, as the Oilers will pay him his guaranteed money either way. That being said, a few NHL teams are searching for a new head coach, and they could take a look at Knoblauch to fill the vacancy.
NHL Insider Connects Leafs to Kris Knoblauch
Speaking on TSN after the news that Knoblauch was fired by the Oilers was made official, Dreger said that he believes the Maple Leafs could be a fit for Knoblauch. According to Dreger, Knoblauch is an analytics-savvy head coach who would fit in with what new Leafs general manager John Chayka is looking for.
“You’re hinting at the Toronto Maple Leafs, and I guess we make that connection based on what we know about newly minted general manager John Chayka and his data analytics background. I didn’t know this to the degree that it’s real, that Kris Knolauch is a head coach who leans heavily on analytics and makes sure that decision making when it comes to pairings, to line combinations, to the matchup game in the regular season and in the playoffs, is backed up by data,” Dreger said on TSN.
“So, in saying that, perhaps there is a reason for the Toronto Maple Leafs to investigate the want or whether there’s a fit with Kris Knoblauch. I don’t think the Maple Leafs are at that point, and if they have a list established, that list is long. Maybe they add Kris Knoblauch to it, given the news that we now know that he’s no longer employed by the Edmonton Oilers.”
Knoblauch Could Bring Calm to Leafs’ Dressing Room
Dreger said that, in addition to bringing an analytics-based approach to his coaching style, Knoblauch would also bring a calm demeanor and presence to the Maple Leafs’ locker room, and perhaps that’s what they need after they fired the hard-nosed Craig Berube earlier this week.
“In Knoblauch, you get a very smart NHL head coach, you get a calm head coach, a very pragmatic head coach. The one thing at times that he lacks is that spice, that juice, that maybe we in the media would like. But for those who know him well and have worked with him, that’s just not in him. Not to say that he can’t get fiery internally from time to time, but he keeps things calm. Maybe there’s enough juice in that (Leafs) dressing room that you don’t need a rah-rah coach,” Dreger said.
Chayka said the Leafs are in no rush to hire their next head coach, as the team is embarking on a wide-ranging search to find the right fit to lead the team now and into the future. Perhaps that could be Knoblauch, but it remains to be seen what direction Chayka wants to go next after parting ways with Berube.
NHL Insider Believes Leafs Could Be Interested in Kris Knoblauch