{"id":670979,"date":"2026-05-14T19:03:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T19:03:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/670979\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T19:03:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T19:03:11","slug":"nhl-rumors-oilers-next-coach-canucks-hire-gm-knies-worth-more-than-matthews-the-hockey-writers-nhl-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/670979\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Rumors: Oilers Next Coach, Canucks Hire GM, Knies Worth More than Matthews? – The Hockey Writers – NHL Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

In today\u2019s NHL rumors rundown, the Edmonton Oilers have officially relieved Kris Knoblauch of his coaching duties, and GM Stan Bowman will meet with the media to talk about the next steps, including the search for a new coach. Meanwhile, the Vancouver Canucks have hired Ryan Johnson and the Sedins to run things moving forward. What are their respective roles? Finally, is Matthew Knies<\/a> worth more than Auston Matthews in a trade?<\/p>\n

Oilers Fire Kris Knoblauch and Mark Stuart<\/p>\n

The Edmonton Oilers officially relieved<\/a> head coach Kris Knoblauch and assistant coach Mark Stuart of their duties on Thursday morning. In a statement, GM Stan Bowman cited the need for change following a disappointing first-round playoff exit in the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n

The timing has drawn sharp criticism. Reports revealed the Oilers had already reached out to the Vegas Golden Knights about Bruce Cassidy while Knoblauch was still under contract. Insiders like Jason Gregor and TSN\u2019s Ryan Rishaug<\/a> called the handling \u201chorrendous\u201d and \u201cnot how you conduct business,\u201d noting that once the story leaked, Knoblauch\u2019s position became untenable.<\/p>\n

Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports<\/a>, \u201cThe Oilers don\u2019t have a coaching replacement already lined up. They plan a formal search to interview various candidates.\u201d Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now adds<\/a>, \u201cMy belief is that the @EdmontonOilers<\/a> will target an Experienced Head Coach with Gravitas who has had a history of having structure and process in his team\u2019s game\u2026and has won before!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"StanJun 3, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman along with Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch are seen during media day in advance of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Knoblauch guided the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals but faced growing frustration over defensive regression and player deployment. Both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl had publicly questioned the team\u2019s direction, making changes almost inevitable. <\/p>\n

Canucks Name Ryan Johnson as New GM<\/p>\n

The Vancouver Canucks are set to announce Ryan Johnson as the 13th general manager in franchise history today. Several sources<\/a> have claimed the organization is set to formally announce the hires at a press conference scheduled for 1:00 PM on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Johnson, who has climbed the ranks as an assistant, lacks NHL GM experience but is viewed as a hard worker with strong character. Jim Rutherford is expected to shift into an advisory role, while Henrik and Daniel Sedin will reportedly take on elevated positions in the front office \u2014 likely as co-presidents.<\/p>\n

The Canucks are entering a critical rebuild phase and are hoping the combination of Johnson and the Sedin twins can bring stability and fresh direction.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next for the Minnesota Wild?<\/p>\n

Following their second-round elimination by the Colorado Avalanche, the Minnesota Wild are staring down a busy offseason. GM Bill Guerin has eight unrestricted free agents<\/a>, including Mats Zuccarello, Vladimir Tarasenko, Nick Foligno, Marcus Johansson, Michael McCarron, Zach Bogosian, and Jeff Petry.<\/p>\n

With roughly $13.5 million in projected cap space and 17 players under contract, the Wild have limited flexibility. ESPN predicts<\/a> that Zuccarello is expected to return, while Johansson, Tarasenko, and McCarron could be re-signed on short-term deals. However, the team desperately needs top-six forward help \u2014 particularly a center \u2014 to remain competitive.<\/p>\n

Guerin was previously linked to centers like Vincent Trocheck before the trade deadline, but adding high-end talent while retaining key veterans will require careful balancing.<\/p>\n

Maple Leafs Weighing Matthew Knies Trade?<\/p>\n

Matthew Knies continues to generate trade speculation in Toronto. TSN\u2019s Chris Johnston<\/a> discussed the 24-year-old power forward\u2019s value on \u201cOverdrive,\u201d noting that one NHL team was reportedly willing to give up more for Knies than for Auston Matthews<\/a> because of his five years of team control at a prime age.<\/p>\n

Knies\u2019 name surfaced before the March deadline as former GM Brad Treliving listened to offers, partly because he lacks no-trade protection. One club allegedly offered six pieces (mostly picks and prospects), but it fell short of Toronto\u2019s asking price.<\/p>\n

New GM John Chayka is said to think highly of Knies and may be reluctant to move him. However, with the Leafs holding the first-overall pick and needing defensive help, Johnston hasn\u2019t ruled out Knies being part of a larger deal this summer.<\/p>\n

Free Newsletter<\/p>\n

\n Get NHL Rumors coverage delivered to your inbox <\/p>\n

In-depth analysis, breaking news, and insider takes – free.<\/p>\n


\n Subscribe Free \u2192
\n <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In today\u2019s NHL rumors rundown, the Edmonton Oilers have officially relieved Kris Knoblauch of his coaching duties, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":670980,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,2368,63,263961,323785,133854,69086,575,206513,85],"class_list":["post-670979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-au","tag-auston-matthews","tag-australia","tag-daniel-sedin","tag-henrik-sedin","tag-kris-knoblauch","tag-matthew-knies","tag-nhl","tag-ryan-johnson","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=670979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/670980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=670979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=670979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=670979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}