It’s time for some NHL Rumours with us here at Last Word On Hockey. Moreover, the Edmonton Oilers only made it official on Thursday morning. Kris Knoblauch has been relieved of his coaching duties after a first-round Stanley Cup Playoff exit against the Anaheim Ducks ended a season that never lived up to its promise. The firing came days after a leaked coaching pursuit turned into one of the messiest situations in recent Oilers history, and the man at the centre of it all is the Vegas Golden Knights previous bench boss, Bruce Cassidy.
Credit Image: © David Santiago/Miami Herald via ZUMA Press Wire
This edition of NHL rumours looks at the Oilers’ pursuit of Bruce Cassidy and what a coaching change could mean for the franchise.
All NHL rumours come from the source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours Latest on Bruce Cassidy and the Edmonton Oilers
Rumour: Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts addressed the fallout after news leaked that the Oilers had sought permission to interview former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy. Friedman said the moment it became public, the situation changed entirely: “I never like to say it’s over. I just don’t know how they can go back to that now. Now that it’s out and everybody knows, and Knoblauch knows, I don’t know how you can do that anymore.” Friedman also noted on Sportsnet’s FAN Hockey Show that Cassidy is open to interviewing with any team that requests permission and that Edmonton is viewed as his preferred destination.
Analysis: The Knoblauch firing was inevitable the moment the Cassidy pursuit leaked publicly. Friedman said it plainly on 32 Thoughts: “I never like to say it’s over. I just don’t know how they can go back to that now. Now that it’s out and everybody knows, and Knoblauch knows, I don’t know how you can do that anymore.” Once that story broke, Knoblauch’s position became untenable regardless of what the Oilers decided about Cassidy.
The deeper issue is why Cassidy was being pursued in the first place. Knoblauch’s core failing was defensive structure. A team carrying two of the best players in the world finished with the worst defensive metrics of Connor McDavid’s era and surrendered 25 goals in six playoff games against Anaheim. Knoblauch was an offensive-minded coach who never found a consistent answer on the other end of the ice.
The defensive collapse that occurred under Knoblauch was the root cause of the problem. A team with McDavid and Draisaitl at their peaks finished with the worst defensive metrics of the McDavid era and allowed 25 goals in six playoff games against Anaheim. Knoblauch was an offensive-minded coach who never found a consistent answer on the other end of the ice.
Cassidy is the opposite. He built a Stanley Cup winner in Vegas in 2023 on structure, accountability, and a defensive system that protected his goaltender. He knows how to get elite forwards to buy into a two-way commitment, and that is exactly what this locker room needs.
The Vegas Golden Knights have so far withheld permission for the interview, an awkward position given that they fired Cassidy themselves in late March. Other reporters, including Mark Spector of Sportsnet and Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, have noted that Cassidy remains the frontrunner for the job.
What It Means
Friedman’s reporting makes clear this is not a rumour so much as a foregone conclusion pending logistics. Edmonton wants Cassidy, Cassidy wants Edmonton, and Vegas is the only obstacle in the way. The Golden Knights fired him. Blocking him from landing elsewhere reflects poorly on them, and it is unlikely to hold.
McDavid is 29 and his running mate Leon Draisaitl is 30. The window is not closing yet, but it is no longer wide open. Hiring the right coach this summer may be the most important decision general manager Stan Bowman makes in his tenure. Based on everything Friedman is reporting, the Oilers believe that the coach is Bruce Cassidy.
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