3 Oilers who have got worse since Kris Knoblauch took over in Edmonton

We look at three players who have played worse since Kris Knoblauch took over as Oilers coach, including one that may surprise some people.

The last two games elicited an unfamiliar feeling for the Oilers and their fans of late, as they actually lost. However, as tough as the two defeats were, the thinking (hoping) is it’s just a small blip after winning eight straight.

In general, the Oilers have improved since Kris Knoblauch took over from the unfortunate Jay Woodcroft. At the time of posting, Knoblauch has a 10-5-0 record in his 15 games in charge.

Certainly the overall vibe is a positive one, as the Oilers have charged their way up the standings. At the same time it hasn’t all been great, as we look at three players who have arguably been worse since Knoblauch arrived in Edmonton:

1) Evander Kane

To be clear, Evander Kane has had an up-and-down season in general, although we should stress this is in respect of his offensive productivity specifically. He has remained a constant physical presence and menace for opponents ever since the 2023-24 campaign started.

In terms of his productivity, Kane began this season with just one point — an assist — in his opening five games, to go along with a team-worst -6 plus/minus rating. This led to concerns he was still being compromised by the wrist injury which caused him to miss half of last season.

Adding fuel to this theory, was that prior to the wrist injury, the 32-year-old had been on fire with 13 points in 14 games to begin the 2022-23 season. This had represented a continuation of his play after first arriving in Edmonton, which resulted in the Oilers rewarding him with a four-year, $20.5 million contract extension.

Back to this season, after the initial five games the tide started to turn for Kane, as he found his scoring touch. In the eight games prior to Woodcroft being fired, he produced 10 points in eight games to go along with a +1 rating, with him at times compensating for scoring droughts by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Upon Knoblauch’s arrival, things continued to go well for Kane initially. He had nine points in eight games — including a natural hat-trick versus the Kraken — although interestingly he only had a 0 rating, which would add credence to those who question just how effective a plus/minus rating really is.

Regardless, the 2009 fourth overall draft pick was playing well overall and proving to again be a vital cog in the top six. However, it then started to go wrong.

In his seven most recent games, Kane has returned to his early season ineffectiveness with just two points, and keep in mind this includes during the back end of the team’s eight-game winning streak. Yes he’s still putting in the effort, but something just isn’t vibing for him right now.

This leads to the question of if this is just part of the ebbs and flows which come during a season, or a struggle for the Vancouver native, to truly provide a sustained impact in Knoblauch’s system? We’re leaning towards the former, but regardless, the reality remains that he has seen his influence gradually erode since the arrival of the new coach in Edmonton.

2) Leon Draisaitl

This may sound strange for a player who’s second on the Oilers in scoring, but something is just off with Leon Draisaitl. He doesn’t look like the same player that terrified opponents over the previous five seasons.

Draisaitl’s play this season has included a period where he only managed one goal in 10 games. If you want to extend this, he had a run of just two goals in 15 games, with both stretches encompassing both Woodcroft’s and Knoblauch’s tenures this season.

Even allowing for the majority of the team being in a funk at some juncture this season, the four-time All-Star is better than this. It also becomes an interesting comparison, when looking at his productivity both before and after the coaching change.

Under Woodcroft, Draisaitl had 15 points and a -2 rating in 13 games. Since Knoblauch has arrived, he has produced 18 points and a -5 rating in 15 games.

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While closely aligned, the overall implication is that the 2020 Art Ross Trophy winner has been worse since Woodcroft was fired. This becomes more evident, when considering the lines as a whole.

Of late most of the lines have been performing well, specifically during the eight-game winning streak. However, unfortunately for Draisaitl, the exception to this has been the form of his line.

This has left Knoblauch with the conundrum of attempting to improve the play of the German native’s line, whilst not upsetting the harmony of the others. If nothing else, at least the current two-game losing streak has provided an excuse for the Oilers coach to make some slight changes.

In this respect, as per Bob Stauffer of 630 CHED, the most significant takeaway from Sunday’s practice was Ryan Nugent-Hopkins joining Draisaitl and Foegele on the second line. Now we wait to see if Draisaitl will improve his play accordingly; he’s not exactly in dire straits, but better production from him will undoubtedly help the team as a whole.

3) Connor Brown

Okay, this one’s a bit different, in that Connor Brown has just played poorly full stop this season. However, along these lines, he certainly hasn’t improved since Knoblauch’s arrival.

There was a lot of understandable optimism when Brown became the Oilers’ main forward addition during the offseason. Renowned as a complementary two-player in the top six, he’s usually been good for 30+ points per season.

In addition, the Toronto native already had some experience playing alongside McDavid, from their days together with the Erie Otters. As such, the expectation was he would only strengthen a team which led the NHL in scoring a season ago.

Instead, Brown came out firing blanks, unable to get anything going. His 10th game came and went with not even one point, triggering a $3.225 million bonus which, while you can’t blame him for getting it, was not exactly earned.

It was only after Knoblauch arrived in Edmonton, that the 29-year-old finally recorded his first point, an assist versus the Anaheim Ducks. However, even this was tainted, with pretty much everyone getting a point in the 8-2 blowout win. (Okay, slight hyperbole, but you get the idea, with 12 of the Oilers’ 18 skaters getting on the scoreboard.)

In total, at the time of posting Brown is still on just one overall point in 22 games, with a -10 plus/minus rating second-worst only to Warren Foegele. (Who at least is providing some offence, with four goals and six assists in 28 appearances.) That this lack of productivity has come despite plenty of opportunities in the top six with McDavid and company is extremely concerning.

There is a suggestion the former Maple Leaf has just not fully recovered from the ACL injury which cost him all but four games last season. Further, while not related to said injury, he has a goal-scoring drought which extends 40 games back to the 2021-22 season, when he was with the Senators.

Overall, the remainder of this season will be extremely crucial for Brown, with him set to become a free agent once it has concluded. As things stand the Oilers are unlikely to bring him back, and if he carries on as he has done, suitors in general for his services will be limited.

When considering the trio, we have the most confidence in Draisaitl returning to the form Oilers fans are used to. Kane should also be fine in the long run, but the outlook for Brown is a lot more bleak.