The Oilers are heading into their most important summer in ages, and while it was always going to be weird and messy, I’m not sure anyone expected it to start with a leak that turned into a fork in the road.

After getting bounced by the Anaheim Ducks in six games after a season of ups and downs, watching Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid speak incredibly honestly about the team taking a step backward, and staring down a summer to-do list that should make everyone who cares about this team nervous, the Oilers needed to come out of the gates looking calm, organized, and with a clear plan in place. Instead, the first big story we got is a coaching leak involving Kris Knoblauch and Bruce Cassidy. That is probably not the ideal place to start.

And before I get started, I don’t necessarily think the Oilers did anything wrong, even if the execution was poor. If they truly believe Bruce Cassidy is a better coaching option for this team going forward, then of course, they needed to know whether a conversation was even possible before making a final decision on Kris Knoblauch. That’s not some scandalous tactic or anything like that. They tried doing their due diligence ahead of a big decision for the org. It makes sense to find out whether or not Cassidy was even interested in the gig. Then, if everything lines up, make the change and explain the decision afterward.

The problem is that their plan got leaked, and nothing stayed quiet. Once Frank Seravalli broke the news on Twitter, the Oilers lost control of their own timeline. What may have started as a sneaky temperature check on Cassidy turned into a public debate on the team’s handling of the situation, Cassidy’s availability, Vegas’ slow playing the conversation despite firing the guy, and whether Edmonton’s management group had already made up its mind. The problem was not the call itself, but the fact that everyone found out about the call before the Oilers could even get an answer to their question.  And now, because of that leak, Kris Knoblauch looks like a dead man walking before even speaking to his current employer.

Regardless of what any of us think of the job Knoblauch has done, he is still the head coach for the Edmonton Oilers with a fresh three-year extension in his pocket… at least for the moment anyway. Despite the team making plans to apparently move on, Knobby hadn’t been gassed yet, or formally sent on his way. And yet, everyone now knows the Oilers were interested enough in Cassidy to ask the question. So what exactly is he supposed to do with that? What happens if the team can’t find a suitable replacement if the Cassidy plan doesn’t work out? Is he supposed to walk back into the room and pretend he didn’t see what happened? Is he supposed to stand in front of his players and act like he’s not walking on eggshells?

While none of us really know what the Oilers are thinking here or how Frank’s leak affects their plans, we do know they’re now in a position where they almost have to make a change. Whether they had already decided Knoblauch isn’t the guy to get this group over the hump or not, I have no idea how they’re supposed to walk this back or rebuild the bridge that just got burned down if he has to come back. I can understand the logic if Cassidy is Plan A, and the organization was trying to line everything up before making its move, but you’d have to think that plan is probably off the table now.

Instead of a clean transition, the Oilers are stuck in this messy middle ground where their hand could be forced before they were ready to make moves. What we know for sure is that their current coach knows the organization was poking around for his potential replacement, and that his new contract doesn’t mean squat when it comes to him being back on the bench in October. We also know that Vegas gets to sit back and enjoy the chaos they created, even if the decision to block a coach they fired from new opportunities seems totally ridiculous. As much as I hate the move they pulled, I do respect the pettiness and gamesmanship. Either way, this isn’t a great spot for a team whose fanbase was already questioning whether this management team is even the right one to get through the storm.

This is not some random summer where the Oilers can fumble the ball a few times and figure things out as they go. McDavid is signed for two more seasons. Draisaitl is locked in long-term, but he was incredibly blunt and honest about the team needing to be better. The team just had its earliest exit in years. And when you’ve got decisions on the blue line that need attention, a goaltending conversation that isn’t going anywhere, UFAs to sign, and real pressure to make the right choices, the last thing anyone needs is negativity and noise hanging around like a black cloud. And even though I don’t think this coaching leak is the end of the world, nor is anyone going to jail, it sure would have been nice to have a moment where the whole league isn’t dunking on us.

That’s not me saying every move has to be perfect, even though they kinda have to be. I know nobody gets through the offseason without taking swings, making tough choices, or changing course when plans go sideways. But the Oilers need to look organized and be decisive. They need to look like they understand the urgency of their situation and know exactly how they want to respond. This did not look like that, at least not in the court of public opinion. Again, firing Knoblauch could be the right call, and I totally understand why they’d want to talk to Cassidy before letting the axe drop. But right now, having their half-baked plan come out before firing their coach puts the team in a bad spot and basically pulls the option of Knoblauch coming back off the table.

In a summer when the Oilers really needed to come out of the gates looking like a team ready to handle one of the most important offseasons of the McDavid era, we started off on the wrong foot. Instead of looking ready for what’s to come, our summer started with leaked info, an awkward coaching situation, and a fanbase wondering how the hell we’re going to get out of this mess. Maybe the Oilers are about to make the right call, but this Frank bomb certainly put them in a situation where they have to take a very weird way to get there. But I guess that tracks for the Oilers, right? We wait.