The question again, but better phrased: Are the Golden Knights more likely to grant permission to speak to Bruce Cassidy if they win the Cup? Or would a hurricane-ravaged Kelly McCrimmon and brass say f-it-all and outright deny deny deny if they lose. Does it matter any which way?

Cassidy is growing frustrated and speaking frankly in the media, campaigning for the ability to work and doing his bit to worsen the perception of his one-time team. McCrimmon is tap dancing in the media as the don of hockey ruthlessness.

Look at us, did you see how we just ended the Colorado Avalanche? And then this, oh-by-the-way, on TSN’s Overdrive, “It’s only news because Edmonton leaked it.”

I mentioned this briefly last week, and it’s also what I’ve heard. I believe that’s why things are extra quiet around coaching candidates.

Later that day, Bowman didn’t respond to those claims, but was asked about the coaching search on Oilers Now:

“We’re working through a process,” he said. “We’ve got nothing to announce right now, and I don’t think it’s fair to the people we’ve been speaking to to be giving details on that.

“But we’re taking our time, making sure that we don’t rush into anything, and it’ll happen when it happens. So I don’t have an answer on that. We’re working through it, and we’re being thorough and diligent, and I think that’s the only way to handle it…”

About what you’d expect.

The key is, Vegas gets to use the same excuse – not that they need any – for a couple more weeks. If there is a celebration, trophies, and parades, those emails will keep piling up in McCrimmon’s inbox – how could he possibly respond to them?

I could see a scenario where a victorious Vegas is at a smidgen less concerned about Cassidy’s whereabouts if they add another rock to their finger. You run through hypotheticals like this, given how much time we’ve got.

It may help, ii may not, but there’s a better chance my dog learns Latin than an Oilers fan cheering for the Golden Knights in this upcoming Final.

Some questions I’d have

Two names we’re pretty sure are in the mix: Craig Berube, Peter Laviolette (probably).

One of the big issues I hope they solve with their hire is the lack of cohesion from the front office to the coach on the types of players Edmonton is acquiring in free agency and trades, and how they’re deployed.

Obviously, the interview process will be a big key to understanding this coach, and the Oilers beefed up their analytics department this week, as the expected “front office changes” reported by insiders came to fruition.

But Stan Bowman needs to have that relationship and rapport, so the coach can agree, push back, and give the brass something else to think about.

So, sure, no rush, everyone. But having lead time before the draft and free agency with the new coach and those roster decisions is important.

In any prospective coaching interview, I’m curious how they’d answer the question, “Should Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl play together?”

Or another, “With our high expectations, how do you integrate younger players with less experience into the fold, ie, Isaac Howard, so they can be a factor in the spring?”

“What structure suits this collection of players the best?”

Buzzwords

We have a new buzzword floating around: “distressed asset.”

Distressed asset sounds more like a 90’s Harrison Ford action-political thriller co-starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, which would fit nicely on AMC after The Fugitive or Entrapment. I can see the poster being Patriot Games inspired.

It is instead Bob Stauffer’s phrase of choice these days, planting enough seeds for the garden to grow a Jordan Kyrou or Sebastian Cossa in the Oilers lineup come October.

I think Bobby McMann is much more the type of player the Oilers need, being the Trent Frederic middle-six forward with goalscoring touch they wanted in the first place, but his contract in free agency is sure to be too expensive, and Edmonton has that guy at home they’ve got to figure out.

Like any trip to the store, though, it’s price and item. I’m not a Jordan Kyrou fan per se, who just sneakily turned 28 in early May, but the hope would be incoming St. Louis general manager Alex Steen is looking to continue the teardown Doug Armstrong started. On the other hand, the Blues never rebuild. They despise the word.

With the assets the Oilers have – which isn’t zero, but ain’t lots, either – do you attach assets in the package deals you are (theoretically) trading Darnell Nurse or Tristan Jarry in to get the piece you want?

Also worth noting, Kyrou hasn’t been officially linked to the Oilers. So far, it’s been wish-upon-a-Blue. Getting another player in the prime of their career who has shown a 35-plus goal ceiling is never going to hurt.

But if we’re talking distressed assets, I’m much more focused on who the Oilers are putting between the pipes.

Russian to conclusions

In terms of summer tasks, you can’t say it’s been a great start for Stan Bowman. I don’t know if Maxim Berezkin would be any good in the NHL, but he sure was intriguing.

Amidst the Oilers front office moves this week, a Russian translator was not among them.

Somewhere, the cipher broke down between the now two-time Gagarin Cup winner and the Edmonton brass, who both at one time said the right things. Berezkin is Back in the USSR for another two years (McCartney’s new album is out after all).

I wonder if the soon-to-be 25-year-old had certain assurances or guarantees he needed to jump the pond. A certain lineup spot, a certain dollar figure.

Perhaps this is some of the international blowback with the David Tomasek situation, but the Czech player at least was scoring in his respective league. Or it’s just a money thing.

Berezkin has a penchant for timely playoff goals, but isn’t lighting up the KHL, either, with his seven goals and 32 points in 64 games this season.

But again, Berezkin was intriguing because of his size. It’s one of those shrug-your-shoulders moments. Is he better than, say, Owen Michaels, who the Oilers just signed out of the NCAA and is around the same age? I don’t know.

Edmonton is rich in 22-25 year old tweener players, accumulating these scratch tickets to try generating a win. While Tomasek and Roby Jarventie left, Berezkin won’t come, so far, so good on Josh Samanski.

Vasily Podkolzin works in this category too, and would threaten Ford for a starring role in “Distressed Asset.”

Conference Finals underwhelm

The Conference Finals have underwhelmed as a series, and this is somewhat a consequence of having the “Best Round 1 in all of sports” or whatever banner Gary Bettman hangs in his office to justify his way of doing things.

As fun as it is to rag on, Conference Finals lacking drama can’t all be laid at the feet of a bad playoff format. It’s hard to account for an Avalanche team that became so mentally fragile, despite being the “favourites”, or a Canadiens group that couldn’t keep getting away with it.

There hasn’t been a Game 7 Conference Final series since 2018 between the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning, which was actually the fourth straight year the East went the max.

In the West, there hasn’t been a Game 7 series since 2015 between the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks, perhaps the best series of my lifetime. Either that series or the WCF the year before between the Blackhawks and Kings takes the cake for me.

But there is a cyclical element, a luck, a randomness to having a dummy round.

For example, there is plenty of nostalgia for 1990s hockey, and rightfully so. If today’s social media were around in the late 90s, we’d be talking about the bummer Stanley Cup Finals: Four straight sweeps from 1995 to 1998.

A form of 1-8 rankings in the conference makes more sense to me for the long-term, but complaints about Vegas making the Final despite being 13th in regular season points and 21st in overall wins, that’s just playoffs as usual. And besides, Vegas won the Pacific Division. They’d be a top-seed in any format.

RIP Claude

Knowing what we know now, the image of Claude Lemieux carrying the torch at the Bell Centre is the most haunting image of the season, and one of the most shocking in recent NHL history.

There have been many touching tributes for this complicated man, who died of suicide at 60-years-old, remembered as an igniter to the Colorado Avalanche-Detroit Red Wings rivalry, never mind a key reason the 1995 New Jersey Devils’ upset win over Detroit even took place.

But failing to receive his due by the Hockey Hall of Fame ate away at him, according to Rejean Tremblay, a columnist and friend of Lemieux, who said he was hurt he had never received the call.

“He always lived this as an injustice, a heavy burden to bear,” Tremblay told the New York Post. “The sense of rejection ran deeper than one might have imagined. He took it very hard.”

Here are some key facts about Lemieux:

Four Stanley Cups
1995 Conn Smythe Trophy
Nine Conference Finals appearances or beyond
2x Led playoffs in goals and twice led in game-winning goals
9th all-time in playoff goals
27th in playoff points (158)

His regular-season numbers were never hugely impressive, but Lemieux is one of the greatest playoff performers of the past 40 years. He’s no less deserving than Guy Carbonneau (Lemieux had more Cups and more points) or Kevin Lowe (better player). There have been quieter classes where Lemieux may have earned a sniff.

It’s a shame the Hall was such a burden, but it’s also a fraction compared to a troubled relationship with his kids, some of whom he hadn’t spoken with in a decade. Life is tremendously complicated.

Truly, a tragic story.

Rest in peace, Claude.

Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He’s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.