Knoblauch hoping experience helps himself, Oilers in second straight Stanley Cup Final

Edmonton Oilers bench boss Kris Knoblauch is only in his second season as an NHL head coach, but is already set to appear in his second Stanley Cup Final, a feat most coaches never even accomplish once.

The Oilers hired the 46-year-old Knoblauch, who was coaching the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, in mid-November of 2023 after a disastrous start to their season which led to the firing of Jay Woodcroft. 

Knoblauch took over and led the Oilers to an impressive 46-18-5 record over the final 69 games of the regular season before guiding the Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, where they fell to the Florida Panthers. 

Despite finishing lower in the regular season standings in 2024-25, Knoblauch and the Oilers have returned to the championship series to face off against the juggernaut Panthers once again. 

"It's scary to think that this is their third Stanley Cup Final in a row and this is probably their best team," Knoblauch told told TSN 1050's Overdrive on Monday, citing Florida's trade deadline acquisitions of Seth Jones and Brad Marchand. 

Knoblauch agrees that his side is also improved compared to last spring's version even with Zach Hyman likely sidelined for the entire Stanley Cup Final following wrist surgery. 

The Oilers obviously have some of the best talent in hockey on their roster, but the added experience this group now owns could go a long way against the Panthers, says Knoblauch.

"Experience is helpful. Experience allows your players to handle adversity. Handle stress. Because there's always stressful moments whether it's Game 1 of the playoffs in the first round or the Stanley Cup Final, whatever it is, there's always ups and downs," explained Knoblauch. "I think the guys that have been around and played a lot of hockey games, especially high intensity, high pressure games, they can handle those ups and downs a lot better."

Captain Connor McDavid, 28, and German star Leon Draisaitl, 29, have a combined 180 games of postseason experience while 40-year-old Corey Perry has appeared in 231 career playoff games, ranking him seventh all-time.

Perry, who is 1-4 in his previous five Stanley Cup Final appearances, can pass legends Guy Carbonneau (231 games), Scott Stevens (233), Claude Lemieux (234) and Mark Messier (236) for third on the all-time list if the series goes six or seven games. Nicklas Lidstrom sits second with 263 games while Hall of Fame defenceman Chris Chelios leads the way at 266. 

"I think we've got the oldest team in the league, I believe we might of been the oldest team last year too which is beneficial because there are a lot of ups and downs and they're able to just worry about what's important at the moment," said Knoblauch. "Not the blown call or what the other team is doing, whatever it is, they just know what's important."

Despite not having as many NHL games under his belt compared to most of his veteran core players, Knoblauch says the experience he has acquired is starting to become beneficial as well. 

The native of Imperial, Sask., says when he became head coach of the Ontario's Hockey League's Erie Otters, featuring a 15-year-old Connor McDavid, in 2012, he always felt like he was a "step behind" since he wasn't familiar with the other teams and coaches and what they might try to do in different situations.

Over the years, Knoblauch began to learn different tendencies from teams around the league, eventually reaching the OHL Finals in 2015 and winning the league title in 2017. 

Now a similar process is playing out at the pro level, says Knoblauch, adding the need to check your emotions after a game regardless of the result. 

"Last year all these [NHL] coaches were new. I didn't know exactly how they played or whatever. I think that has a little bit to do with it...learning from experience of what other teams are going to do," said Knoblauch, who also won a Western Hockey League title in 2011 with the Kootenay Ice. "We saw Dallas two times through this two playoff runs, now Florida. But, I think also, probably what I learnt most is the ups and downs of a playoff run. How you need to be able to shut it off after the game whether it was a loss, win, overtime. Put it behind you and get ready for the next one." 

For Knoblauch, game-to-game momentum is more fiction than reality. 

"If it went really well, it's probably not going to go that well in the next game because it's a new game. There's new momentum," he said. "I don't believe momentum that carries from game to game. After that win's done, it's done. It's a new game, the next one. I think that helps me [with] whatever that message is to the players the next day, or what kind of tactical adjustments we need to make."

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final goes Wednesday night in Edmonton. The Oilers have captured five Stanley Cups in their history, lasting winning in 1990.

The last Canadian team to win the league title was the 1993 Montreal Canadiens.