Panic is growing after leaked details emerged from inside the Oilers locker room
Kris Knoblauch and Bruce Cassidy are suddenly tied to Edmonton, and the Oilers now look like a team on the edge of a bench change.
A report from 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast said Wednesday night that Edmonton and Knoblauch were working toward a mutual parting of ways.
That report also said an official announcement was expected shortly. Until that happens, this still sits in the rumor stage, but it is not small noise.
The bigger detail is what came with it. The same post said some Oilers players were unhappy with how the situation leaked and how management handled it.
That part hits hard because it moves this beyond a simple coaching change. If the room is bothered by the process, then Edmonton is not just changing the voice behind the bench. It is shaking the mood around the team too.
The report also tied Bruce Cassidy directly to the opening, calling him the leading candidate and saying Edmonton was still working toward an interview this week.
The post lays it out in plain sight: Knoblauch is on the way out, Cassidy is in the frame, and the room may not love how this is being handled.
The wording in the report is blunt, and that is what makes it travel fast.
@EdmontonOilers
& Kris Knoblauch are working towards mutual parting of ways this evening.
Official announcement is expected by the organization shortly.
A few players from our understanding are upset with how this got leaked out to the public & handled by the management staff.
Kris is liked & respected by the players.
The Oilers are still working towards interviewing Bruce Cassidy this week as well with Bruce being the leading candidate for the New Head Coaching position.
Lots of moving parts here.
#NHL #LetsGoOilers
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Things are reportedly getting ugly inside the Oilers locker room
If Edmonton really is moving off Knoblauch, this is not a soft reset. Cassidy is a win-now coach, and that kind of move tells the league the Oilers think they should already be closer than they are.
That also lines up with what Elliotte Friedman said earlier Wednesday, when he suggested Cassidy would probably pick Edmonton if he had the choice. That comment already gave the Oilers traction. This rumor pours fuel on it.
Knoblauch is still listed as Edmonton's head coach, which is why the timing matters so much now. If this breaks officially, the Oilers will go from stable on paper to one of the loudest stories in hockey in a matter of hours.
And if players are truly upset about the leak, the next coach walks into a room that may need repair before puck drop even gets here.
That is why Cassidy matters so much in this conversation. He would not just be a replacement. He would be a statement from management that patience is gone.
Edmonton can survive a coaching move. Plenty of teams do. But if the exit is messy and the room feels exposed, the damage does not stop with the old coach.
That is why this report lands. It is not only about whether Knoblauch is out. It is about whether the Oilers are creating a bigger problem while trying to solve one.
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MAY 13, 2026
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| Brent Burns | - | 2 | 2 | |
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| Ross Colton | - | - | - | |
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