Kris Knoblauch finally fixes the one issue that held the Oilers back
Photo credit: Edit from Daily Faceoff
NHL experts and fans have noticed the Oilers have not been the same team so far this year, and Kris Knoblauch appears to have finally fixed the glaring issue.
The storyline for the beginning of the 2025-26 season among the Edmonton Oilers was this: this team had no identity. Even with back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances, this was a club that couldn't seem to be put into a box.
They were certainly neither a fast team, a physical team, nor a scoring machine.
But among all this commotion, one man always had a clear grasp of where the problems were: Kris Knoblauch.
But among all this commotion, one man always had a clear grasp of where the problems were: Kris Knoblauch.
What the Oilers lost recently that made them so effective in recent years
This wasn't a matter of a lack of effort or poor goaltending. This was a matter of losing something that had made this team great for years: elite possession.
Now, for the last two games, that identity has come back. They have outscored their opponents 15-6. They annihilated the Kraken 9-4 and beat the Jets 6-2. The stark numbers reflect this series of games.
They had 39 Grade A scoring chances while their opponents managed only 22. They had a 20-12 advantage in such opportunities. Early in the season, Edmonton wasn't only losing games; they were losing games deservedly.
Why this year wasn't offering any signs of hope
Unlike previous years, when a poor start had hinted at better things to come because of superior underlying mechanics, this year's crop of players was being outscored and out-chanced. Their process had fallen apart.
This was a problem identified by Kris Knoblauch a few weeks ago. Following a disheartening defeat in Detroit, he drew specific attention to how the Oilers were unable to maintain possession. Detroit won a battle for Grade A chances 15-5.
"We had some practice," Knoblauch said. "We had three last week, another one this week. We can work on things, but I think most importantly, it allows players to make plays with the puck. In morning skates, they get it but they don't get the competition. They don't get to receive a pass under duress. So it's a much different situation. Now we got practice. We can up the tempo, we can put them in situations where they're being confronted I felt like our biggest downfall early in the year was us not playing up to standards, was our puck play. And I think that should be a strength of ours. And I think it was really we weren't executing very well."
While the Oilers' defensive system had started to come together in early December, he again emphasized maintaining team possession.
This team control has returned. The Oilers appear to be the puck-possession team that they were for years. The challenge today would be sustaining such a level of play and combining that with a strong defensive effort.
Previously on HockeyLatest
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 8 | 65 ANSWERS Kris Knoblauch finally fixes the one issue that held the Oilers back Has Kris Knoblauch finally helped turn the Oilers' season around? | ||
| Yes | 33 | 50.8 % |
| No | 32 | 49.2 % |
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