Edmonton’s staff consists of assistants Glen Gulutzan, Mark Stuart, Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey and goalie coach Dustin Schwartz. Gulutzan, Stuart and Schwartz were all with the Oilers last season when they defeated the Kings in the first round in six games.
Along with leaning on his assistants, Knoblauch said he was going to rely on past playoff experiences as a coach in junior with Kootenay of the Western Hockey League and Erie of the Ontario Hockey League, along with Hartford.
Knoblauch was an assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers for two seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Philadelphia lost in the Eastern Conference First Round to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2018 and missed the playoffs the following season.
“There’s some differences, there are some things I have to adjust to, but since I got here, whether it’s regular season, in the American League or junior or the NHL, I’ve coached quite similarly throughout it,” Knoblauch said. “I know going into the playoffs there are going to be changes that are different from my past experiences, but I’m going to rely heavily on my experiences. They have been in different leagues; it’s not the NHL, but I’ll be relying on those.”
Hiller was hired by Los Angeles on July 19, 2022, as an assistant under coach Todd McLellan. The Kings fired McLellan on Feb. 2, and named Hiller interim coach for the remainder of the season. Los Angeles was 23-15-10 when McLellan was fired but on a 3-8-6 slide at the time.
Hiller was an assistant for Barry Trotz when the New York Islanders reached the third round of the playoffs in 2020 and 2021. He also worked as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings (2014-15) and Toronto Maple Leafs (2015-19).
“I’ve been on the bench for a lot of playoff games, certainly not as the head coach,” Hiller said. “I’m just excited. I’ve gone through the emotions of your first playoff series, just being on the bench, and seeing how the level increases. You’re a little nervous, and that’s exciting. Now, I’m not going to be nervous; I’m going to be excited for the challenge that’s in front of us. To be doing it with the group that we have here, I think we’ve played pretty well and we’re going into it together, and I’m excited that’s who I’m going into it with.”
Under Hiller, Los Angeles was 21-12-1 and finished third in the Pacific. He is working alongside assistants Trent Yawney, D.J. Smith, Derik Johnson and goalie coach Mike Buckley. Yawney, Johnson and Hiller were all assistants under McLellan for the series against the Oilers last season.
“The players decide the series, the coaches, we certainly guide them, and Kris is going to do that with his team,” Hiller said. “These guys get out there, they make the difference. They’ve got the hard job. Coaches have the easy job.”
Like Knoblauch, Hiller will also be relying on his coaching staff through the series, particularly Smith, who was hired by Los Angeles as an assistant Feb. 6. Smith was coach of the Ottawa Senators from May 23, 2019, to Dec. 18, 2023.
“D.J. is a very energetic person, I think everybody has met him or heard him understands that,” Hiller said. “But again, he’s a sharp hockey mind, he’s complemented the coaching staff very well. He has his own experience, his own ideas that he’s been able to share with us. Actually, going back to junior, he coached against Kris, when was the coach in Erie. They had (Connor) McDavid, some of the same players, so he’s played against them in junior. So, he has really, really valuable insight, and he’s been a good part of the staff.
-- NHL.com independent correspondent Dan Greenspan contributed to this report
