The Edmonton Oilers are taking a detour in their pursuit for their new head coach, who would become Connor McDavid‘s sixth bench-boss of his NHL career. As the Vegas Golden Knights have yet to grant teams access to Bruce Cassidy, the front office in Oil Country is staying busy. According to reports, the Oilers are set to do their due diligence on Craig Berube.
“Hearing a formal interview with Berube is expected after some initial conversation between he and Bowman. Permission to speak with Bruce Cassidy had still not been granted as of Sunday night,” Ryan Rishaug of TSN reported on his X account.
Amid the interest from McDavid’s Oilers, Cassidy revealed his desire to join a contender, signaling there is traction between the two sides toward reaching an agreement. However, as long as the Golden Knights remain focused on their Stanley Cup chase—or perhaps conveniently distracted enough not to pick up the phone and let their former coach take over a divisional rival—nothing can materialize.
Oilers receive permission to interview Berube
Berube was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs following the 2025-26 campaign. The head coach who guided the St. Louis Blues to a Stanley Cup in 2019 wasn’t in Toronto long enough to see the Buds come away with the No. 1 selection in the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
Craig Berube speaks to the media.
Coming off a two-season stay in Hogtown, Berube has likely learned a lesson or two about being at the helm in a demanding Canadian market. Contrary to the Golden Knights, the Maple Leafs are throwing no wrench into the Oilers’ plans. As reported by Elliotte Friedman, Edmonton has been granted permission to speak with Berube.
Whether the Oilers are seriously interested or just using their free time while waiting on Cassidy, that’s a different question. For Stan Bowman and the thin-ice-walking brass in the Gateway to the North, it may be the perfect distraction to tone down the buzz.
Oilers can’t talk with Cassidy
One thing is clear, though: the Oilers won’t stay idle with their arms crossed. At the very least, they owe it to McDavid, the rest of the team, and the fanbase to stay active and leave no stone unturned. The 2025-26 NHL season saw Edmonton take a considerable step back, and while some argue firing Kris Knoblauch wasn’t the right decision, what’s done is done.
Cassidy is the main target, but he is currently out of reach due to the Golden Knights’ pettiness. Sooner or later, league commissioner Gary Bettman may step in and demand Vegas grant permission for teams to interview Cassidy. For the time being, however, the Knights can keep up the act, even if they have no reason whatsoever to restrict access to their former head coach.
Cassidy has a year left on his contract with Vegas, as he was fired without cause. It looks like the organization in Sin City is putting the saying, ‘two wrongs don’t make a right,’ to the ultimate test.
