As the Edmonton Oilers contemplate a potential coaching change, the team’s attempts to speak with Bruce Cassidy have been stalled by the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights haven’t outright denied permission for the Oilers to speak with their former head coach, who remains under contract, NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported, but the team hasn’t given the green light, either.

Vegas is currently in the midst of its second-round series against the Anaheim Ducks, with Game 5 set for Tuesday night with the series tied.

“It’s possible the Golden Knights’ answer is that Edmonton is seeking permission for a vacancy that does not yet exist,” Seravalli wrote. “But they also hired John Tortorella while Cassidy was still actively coaching – it’s part of the game. To be sure, withholding permission is a move that undoubtedly fits the ruthless front office reputation that the Golden Knights earned over their first eight years in the league.”

The Golden Knights’ withholding of permission is something that “might produce a phone call from commissioner Gary Bettman to smooth over,” Seravalli added.

The writing appears to be on the wall for Kris Knoblauch’s tenure as Oilers head coach. Hired by the team in November 2024 to replace Jay Woodcroft behind Edmonton’s bench, he helped take the team to two straight Stanley Cup Finals that were lost to the Florida Panthers. And while the Oilers made the playoffs this season, a first-round exit to the Ducks, comments questioning the future of the organization by Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, and a failure

Edmonton took a big step back this season, finishing the regular season with a .567 points percentage that was their lowest since 2018-19 when they last missed the playoffs.

The Oilers aren’t the only team targeting Cassidy, Seravalli added, as the Los Angeles Kings also have their eye on him. Cassidy, 60, has coached 829 regular-season games and 119 playoff games for the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, and the Golden Knights. He helped the Bruins win an Eastern Conference championship in 2019, and the Golden Knights their first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2023.

Cassidy carries a 470-254-9-96 regular season record for a .630 points percentage, and has gone 62-57 in the playoffs in his career.

In April, Cassidy said coaching a Canadian team, and potentially winning a Stanley Cup north of the border, would be “cool.”

“I represented Canada at the Olympics and Four Nations. It was a great honour. But I haven’t done a deep dive into it,” Cassidy, a native of Ottawa, Ont., said.

“Usually the first thing you think of is the market, does the team have a chance, how does it impact your family, then you worry about the city later. Is ownership solid? Things like that. It would be kind of cool to do it. It would be cool to win a Stanley Cup in a Canadian city right now because it’s been a while. That would be something else.”

Other coaching candidates remain on the market, such as Peter Laviolette, Dean Evason, Sheldon Keefe, and University of Denver coach David Carle.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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