One of the questions about the Vegas Golden Knights stalling the Edmonton Oilers’ ability to interview Bruce Cassidy was how the Los Angeles Kings played into all of this.

After all, in Frank Seravalli’s initial report, which detailed the drama, he indicated the Kings were after Cassidy for their own vacant head coaching spot, but didn’t divulge just how far that process had gone.

That question has been put to bed, as multiple reports surfaced Tuesday afternoon that the Kings have already conducted an interview with Cassidy. Kings reported Jon Rosen was first to report that the interview was conducted last Friday between the Kings and Cassidy, corroborated by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman during an appearance on Oilers Now.

“I have had someone tell me, although the team has not confirmed it, that he was given permission to talk to the Kings,” Friedman said. “I don’t really know what to make of this one.”

And while one question has been answered, another has surfaced: if the Kings are able to nail down Cassidy for an interview, why aren’t the Oilers? If the Golden Knights planned to make the Oilers look bad in the early stages of their then-unknown, now-known search to replace Kris Knoblauch, consider it successful. Situations like these, where a coach is fired while under contract and a replacement is swiftly brought in, don’t happen all too often during the summer.

You usually see the coach dismissed in the days following the end of their season, a coaching search, and then the announcement of the new guy entering the mix. But for as much flak as the Oilers have gotten for their unprofessional handling of Knoblauch, who is set to begin a three-year extension in July, the Golden Knights have been under fire, too.

It was clear that a coaching change was going to be considered after the season, when leaders Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were outspoken in their disappointment in the direction of the team. And while many have been clamouring at the idea of Bruce Cassidy coaching the Oilers, nobody saw the situation playing out like this.

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.