How Kris Knoblauch became master of the midseries adjustment - ESPN

SO OFTEN THE details get lost in the big picture — which might be the most apt way to describe what Kris Knoblauch has done over the past 18 months to make the Edmonton Oilers one of the NHL's top Stanley Cup challengers.

Every path has an origin. Initially, it might appear that the Oilers' march to a consecutive Western Conference finals first began with their first-round rally against the Los Angeles Kings after going down 2-0.

But a deeper look suggests the Oilers' first steps were in November 2023 when they decided to move on from Jay Woodcroft to hire Knoblauch. Since then, Knoblauch has guided the Oilers to what has arguably been the most prosperous stretch the franchise has enjoyed since their last Stanley Cup back in 1990.

«He's a pretty analytical guy and pretty composed,» Oilers forward Connor Brown said. «I think he sees it clearly in these high-pressure situations. I think his judgement is pretty clear. When he got hired last season, we ended up putting together a couple win streaks. It was the beginning. We were crystal clear on our positioning, our roles individually and then we started to roll from there.»

Coaching is a nuanced profession by nature. There is the macro view — looking at the totality of a team — while blending in the micro, weighing how each player works or doesn't work within the system. It's knowing that those real-time, in-game decisions can be the difference between being a winning franchise or one that wonders what would have been if better choices had been made.

It's about having confidence in Plan A. But it's about having even more confidence in knowing when to shift away from Plan A in favor of Plan B, Plan C or an entirely different plan altogether at a moment's notice.

Knoblauch