Kris Knoblauch had some big words after tough loss to the Winnipeg Jets

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Finnegan Frost
September 26, 2024 (11:23)

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The Edmonton Oilers preseason woes continue as they faced a tough 6-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets last night.

After the match, Kris Knoblauch made himself available for post game interview, giving a clear indication that some of his players are just flat out not ready for NHL competition.

«We had a little push in the third, which was nice,» said Knoblauch. «Scoring chances, one goal, but they've a much more veteran team, almost their nhl lineup, which is a good test for our guys. A lot of our guys that we feel are ready for the nhl and in a situation like that, you find out if you're nhl ready or not. We liked a lot of our guys that showed up and played a strong game. Obviously there's some guys you can tell that just aren't quite ready. That's a good indicator for us.»

Kris Knoblauch announced that he's cut 9 players from training camp already, and after the poor showing against the Jets, Oilers fans can anticipate a few more players being sent down.

Yesterday marked the third preseason game in a row the Oilers let in 6 goals consecutively, which is somewhat disappointing considering starting goaltender Stuart Skinner was between the pipes last night.

Stuart Skinner made his pre-season debut behind a lineup that was made of AHL and CHL quality players. Although Skinner didn't get much help from the guys in front of him, fans were hoping for a slightly better performance.

Either way, Stu finished his first appearance between the pipes with 23 saves and a .852 save %. Not exactly good enough for the regular season, but we can cut him some slack considering he's still shaking rust off from the offseason.

Regardless, Kris Knoblauch kept his composure during his media availability, but it's clear he's looking for more contributions from his prospects.

source: Oilers Nation
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