Oilers’ hiring of Kris Knoblauch invites questions about franchise’s d…

It’s possible that the Edmonton Oilers have made an exceptional decision by hiring Kris Knoblauch as their new head coach, but it seems more likely that they either bent over backwards to appease Connor McDavid or let him play GM.

Knoblauch may well succeed in Edmonton, but looking at his resume from a 30,000-foot perspective it’s tough to see an obvious NHL head-coaching candidate.

Knoblauch has a strong resume at the CHL level, but he has yet to make a strong impact coaching men.

Since his last season in the OHL (2016-17), the coach spent two years as an assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers — where he led the NHL’s 17th-ranked power play — and four years as the head coach of the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack.

During that time the Wolfpack went 112-87-31, good for a winning percentage of .487, and made the playoffs just once.

None of this proves that Knoblauch is a bad coach. The man has won WHL and OHL titles, after all. But he’s not someone who would’ve been on the radar of too many NHL teams other than the Oilers. That makes it clear that the fact he coached McDavid with the Erie Otters was a critical factor in his hiring.

Having an existing relationship with the Oilers’ most important player is a positive, but it’s unclear whether it’s enough of one to have Knoblauch leapfrog other potential candidates with a track record of significant NHL success — either as head coaches or assistants.

This hiring invited questions about how much of a say the Oilers players, but particularly McDavid, had in this decision. That question was answered in a way that didn’t inspire confidence as president and GM Ken Holland alluded to talking to his veteran players while CEO Jeff Jackson was quick to say the players weren’t consulted on the decision at all.

The mixed message leaves room for two interpretations — neither of which reflect…