The Edmonton Oilers’ coaching search ran straight into a roadblock this week when the Vegas Golden Knights declined to grant permission for teams to interview Bruce Cassidy, who was fired by Vegas in March; Oilers general manager Ken Holland said he will move on and interview roughly four to eight candidates. Holland also said he didn’t plan to press the issue after Vegas refused to let clubs talk to Cassidy about their vacancy.
Holland framed the decision as a pragmatic one. “Over the years, I’ve had some calls about maybe not head coaches, but people called and we didn’t want to let them go and we found a way to keep them,” he said. He added, “I’ve been around the game a long time to know that if somebody’s decided that they don’t want to grant permission, they’ve negotiated that right and you move on.”
The Cassidy connection landed at the top of the list because of what he did to the Oilers in the 2023 playoffs: as Vegas coach he made in-game adjustments that helped the Golden Knights advance past Edmonton. Cassidy reset lines on the fly to give Jack Eichel space against tight checking, and Eichel finished the series with seven even-strength points compared with four for Connor McDavid. Cassidy also leaned on a shutdown line led by William Karlsson and handed heavy minutes to a fourth line featuring Nicolas Roy, William Carrier and Keegan Kolesar. A goaltending switch from Laurent Brossoit to Adin Hill — forced by injury but effective — was another adjustment that favored Vegas.
That work is precisely why bruce cassidy’s name kept surfacing in Edmonton. The Oilers are seeking their 19th head coach in franchise history after 46 NHL seasons that have produced 18 coaches, and they have cycled through five different coaches in the Connor McDavid era from 2015-16 through 2025-26. Management turnover has followed McDavid as well: Stan Bowman is the fifth general manager since McDavid arrived.
Vegas executives, for their part, defended the decision to deny interviews as a matter of timing and contractual control. Kelly McCrimmon said last week, “We’ve been consistent that our focus currently is on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the teams have respected that.” He added, “I’ve spoken with Bruce. He understands this, as well.” Asked about the club-by-club requests, McCrimmon confirmed teams had approached Vegas asking for permission to speak with Cassidy.
The refusal sets up a disagreement between what the Golden Knights are asserting and what others say should follow. The NHL Coaches’ Association has argued that Cassidy should be allowed to speak with other teams before his contract ends because he is not actively working with Vegas, a stance that contrasts with reporting that the league believed Vegas was within its contractual rights to deny permission. Cassidy himself, when asked about the situation, said simply, “That’s your right.”
For Edmonton, the tension is practical: the franchise wants a coach who can manage a high-powered offence—Jay Woodcroft’s only full season in 2022-23 produced 325 goals, the team’s highest total since 1988-89—while also delivering playoff adjustments that close out tight series. Cassidy’s playoff résumé against the Oilers is being cited as proof he could supply that balance; Vegas’ contractual control is the reason the Oilers cannot immediately test that theory in interviews.
Holland’s response narrows the immediate path forward. He said he hopes to interview roughly four to eight candidates and expects to have conversations about the job two weeks before the draft. That posture makes it likely Edmonton will focus on other options rather than wage a public fight to pry Cassidy free. For a team that has cycled through coaches and general managers in the McDavid era, Holland’s declaration — that you move on when permission is denied — is the practical conclusion: the next head coach will probably arrive from the field Holland intends to canvass, not from a stalled bid for the coach who once outmaneuvered them in the playoffs.
