New Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch in 2021. POOL PHOTOS-USA TODAY Sports

Does having a new head coach make the Oilers a betting favorite?

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 11/13/23

The Edmonton Oilers are hoping to change their fortunes around now that they have a new head coach. But will having new personnel be enough to make them betting favorites?

The Oilers briefly stole the spotlight in the sporting world on Sunday when they announced that Jay Woodcroft had been relieved of his coaching duties after the team started the season 3-9-1. (Beating the Seattle Kraken 4-1 on Saturday night clearly wasn't enough to help him secure his job.) There is no time for Connor McDavid and company to sit back and ponder the past, as AHL bench boss Kris Knoblauch has been handed the reigns ahead of Monday's game against the New York Islanders.

Here's a look at how the coaching change has impacted how the Oilers look to oddsmakers.

Kris Knoblauch and Leon Draisaitl having an extended conversation as the team gets set for Morning Skate. #Oilers pic.twitter.com/ZN5rtRPu3m
— Tony Brar (@TonyBrarOTV) November 13, 2023

According to DraftKings, the Oilers are actually 1.5-point favorites on the puck line and -162 favorites on the money line to defeat the Isles on Monday, even though they have lost four of their last five games. New York enters Monday's tilt at 5-5-3 and on a four-game losing skid, so perhaps it's not a surprise that oddsmakers see Monday's game as an opportunity for Edmonton to turn things around.

It doesn't hurt, either, that Knoblauch is already well-acquainted with the game's biggest star. As Action Network tells us, the new HC "has a pre-existing relationship with McDavid, dating back to their junior hockey days with the Erie Otters."

It's worth it to keep an eye on the Oilers now that a new coach is in place, especially if you are still looking to put some money down on a favorite to win the Stanley Cup next spring. Edmonton is a 22-1 long shot at DK to hoist Lord Stanley's Mug, which is pretty impressive given their rocky start. Could a win on Monday help those odds shorten quickly?

Puck drop for the Oilers' Monday night matchup against the Islanders is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.

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