The Oilers have fired head coach Kris Knoblauch

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.