As of early Wednesday morning, Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch still has a job, despite being caught searching for a replacement.

Frank Seravalli reported on Tuesday that the Oilers had asked the Vegas Golden Knights for permission to speak to Bruce Cassidy, but were dragging their feet and hadn’t given an answer. With that information now public, the Oilers appear to have a lame duck coach, whose three-year, $9 million extension hasn’t even started yet.

Insider David Pagnotta joined Oilersnation Everyday and said information began filtering through on Monday night that the Oilers were considering a coaching change.

That aligned with Seravalli’s note from last week that said it was “more likely than not” that Knoblauch and his coaching staff, Paul McFarland and Mark Stuart, were on the outs.

Knoblauch’s methods and how he shuffled his line combinations caused frustration amongst Oilers players and brass, according to Pagnotta.

Pagnotta is specifically referencing the Oilers lineups in Game 5 and 6 against the Anaheim Ducks.

Knoblauch broke up the most productive line of Draisaitl with Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin in the must-win Game 5, and it seemed to work, with the new McDavid and Draisaitl line scoring once. Vasily Podkolzin’s line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman scored the two other five-on-five goals.

Those lines were kept for the start of Game 6, but after digging a big hole, were changed again.

Knoblauch has often faced heat for line combinations that seem constantly in flux, with some fans feeling frustrated that successful lines are broken up too quickly if the Oilers get behind, or aren’t kept together long enough to build chemistry.

Concerns expressed by McDavid and Draisaitl in exit interviews, and general manager Stan Bowman saying that Knoblauch’s job was under evaluation, led to the believe that the Oilers head coach was on thin ice.

But that’s not because they feel added pressure with Connor McDavid’s two year contract timeline.

Pagnotta also expects a few changes in the Oilers hockey ops department beyond Knoblauch. That was also mentioned by Seravalli in last week’s report. He believes Jeff Jackson and Stan Bowman are safe, but there’s “consideration made across the board for everybody else.”

A wrinkle in Seravalli’s coaching report.

He said that the LA Kings were interested in hiring Cassidy. Kings reporter Jon Rosen said that LA interviewed Cassidy last Friday. On Oilers Now on Tuesday, Elliotte Friedman confirmed that the Kings had been previously granted permission.

Were the Golden Knights extending their rivalry with the Oilers off the ice? It’s also unclear how the information initially leaked.

Hockey fans recognize elite performance instantly, and that’s exactly how Capital GMC Buick operates. With one of the city’s deepest selections of top-quality GMC and Buick vehicles and a customer experience built to win year after year, this dealership consistently leads the pack. Five current NHL players proudly drive vehicles from Capital GMC Buick, and for good reason. The store has been rated the #1 GM dealership in Canada by DealerRater for three consecutive years, is the only GM dealer in Edmonton endorsed by J.D. Power as a Dealer of Excellence, and has raised over $30,000 for the Stollery Children’s Hospital.