More firings out of Edmonton today following Knoblauch's dismissal

UPDATE: Following news of Kris Knoblauch's dismissal as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, the team has also confirmed that assistant coach Mark Stuart has also been dismissed from his position.

From the Oilers' official press release announcement:

"Following a thorough review of this past season, we believe these changes are needed. We are grateful for the contributions both Kris and Mark have made to our organization and we wish them the best moving forward," said Stan Bowman, Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations and General Manager.

Read below for our earlier report on Knoblauch's dismissal.

The Edmonton Oilers have fired head coach Kris Knoblauch.

There had been rumors for nearly a week now that the Oilers had sought permission from the Vegas Golden Knights to interview Bruce Cassidy, which in turn spurred rumors about Knoblauch's dismissal. Today, the team made it official after walking away from Knoblauch after just two and a half seasons behind the bench. In fact, Knoblauch's stint was so short that his $7.5 million contract hasn't even kicked in yet. He's set to start a new three year deal on June 1st. Should he remain unemployed for the duration, he'll collect his full payment. Not a bad gig if you can find it...

So... what's next?

In Edmonton it seems that the coach always takes the blame. Or the goalie. Or Darnell Nurse. Let's be honest, the Oilers aren't a perfectly constructed team and that begins with management. Knoblauch could only do so much with the roster that he inherited thanks to GM Stan Bowman. If I'm an Oilers fan, I'm very concerned with Bowman making big decisions this upcoming offseason. With the way he has handled his team's roster and now his head coach's dismissal, I wouldn't trust Bowman to make any moves for my team.

Knoblauch had a tough season, but after back to back Stanley Cup Final runs and a new three year contract extension, his position looked like the safest coaching position in the NHL just a few short months ago. Now, he's out and the Oilers look foolish for how it was all handled. Again, despite reports that Bowman was seeking to hire Cassidy this past weekend, it took until late Wednesday evening for Knoblauch to be relieved of his duties. That's not a good look...

I'll be honest, this entire situation stinks for the Oilers and I think they need to take a long-hard look if they want Bowman to be the man calling the shots right now, considering that Connor McDavid's future hangs in the balance.