Kris Knoblauch, the head coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack, was hired away by the Edmonton Oilers to serve as the organization’s temporary head coach, just seven months after he helped the franchise end the longest active play-off drought in AHL history.
For the past four seasons, Knoblauch, 45, has served as the head coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers. Knoblauch went 119-90-18-14 in his tenure as the starting point guard at the XL Center. He helped Hartford get through the COVID-19 pandemic and secure the Wolf Pack’s first postseason berth since the 2014–2015 season.
Now, Knoblauch is tasked with righting the ship for an Edmonton Oilers team that has struggled early despite having the talents of Leon Draisaitl and three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner Connor McDavid. The new Oilers interim coach has had some experience in the NHL, having previously gone 4-2—including a 9-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers—with the New York Rangers following the team’s entire coaching staff contracting COVID-19.
What does this mean for Hartford? The team announced on Sunday that assistant coach Steve Smith will take over as the team’s interim head coach. The 60-year-old former NHL player has been with the Wolf Pack for the past two seasons and played an important role with Hartford as Coach Kris Knoblauch’s assistant.
Smith has been a head coach in the AHL and NHL. He spent the 1997–1998 season with the Calgary Flames, returned to the NHL in 2010–2014 as an assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers, played for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2014–2018, and most recently played for the Buffalo Sabres in 2018–2021.
With a 7-3-2 record, the Wolf Pack are now second in the AHL Atlantic Division, despite the fact that their season is still early. Smith will want to build on his early dominance and give Wolf Pack supporters their second straight season in the playoffs—something they haven’t done since they made it to the finals in 2010–11 and 2011–12.
