After weeks of dispute between the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman finally broke his silence. However, his statement on the ongoing Bruce Cassidy situation may not be what Connor McDavid and company hoped to hear.
Ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes, Bettman held a press conference in which he addressed several of the league’s biggest storylines. It didn’t take long before he was asked about Vegas’ decision to deny interview requests with former head coach Bruce Cassidy. Bettman’s response brought grins across Nevada while wiping them away entirely in Alberta.
“Bettman says Vegas denying Bruce Cassidy permission to interview for another job is ‘completely reasonable’ based on the contract terms reviewed by the league,” as stated by Frank Seravalli on X.
Oilers get no help from NHL
As a result, there is reason to believe there will be no intervention from the NHL. Despite being fired, Cassidy remains under contract in Sin City for one more year, with the former Golden Knights head coach set to make $4.5 million next season.
Gary Bettman, NHL commissioner.
As Cassidy recently admitted, he can’t cut ties with the organization in Las Vegas unless he’s willing to walk away from his guaranteed money for the 2026-27 season. Meanwhile, the Oilers are virtually out of options.
If they want to pair McDavid and the rest of the team with Cassidy, the only way to do so may be to wait until the summer of 2027, when Cassidy will be free to sign with a new team without the Golden Knights having any say in the matter. However, there are plenty of reasons why waiting is far from an ideal choice for Edmonton.
Why it makes no sense for Oilers
Entering the first season of McDavid’s two-year contract extension with the organization, the clock is ticking for the Oilers. Although McDavid will technically be in a contract year during the 2027-28 campaign, the 2026-27 season could effectively be one as well.
McDavid is giving the team a brief championship window to prove itself. If Edmonton decides to enter a transition year while it waits for Cassidy to become available, it could very well drive its captain out of town.
In that scenario, McDavid could make it clear ahead of the 2027-28 season that he has no intention of re-signing with the Oilers. At that point, Edmonton would likely have no choice but to trade him, with reports suggesting the New York Rangers are among McDavid’s top destinations.
Oilers would never be able to live down McDavid trade
If the rumors are already loud today, the Oilers can only imagine how intense the speculation would become if they chose to waste one year of their two-year window. Time is of the essence. As much as Cassidy could be the missing piece for Edmonton, McDavid should come first in the hierarchy for the organization. If the Oilers play their cards with Cassidy in mind, they risk losing sight of their captain and the best player in the NHL.
Trading Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings remains a decision many in Edmonton still disapprove of. Even then, however, “The Great One” had already hoisted four Stanley Cups in the Gateway to the North.
If Stan Bowman loses McDavid to free agency—or is forced to trade him before bringing even a single Stanley Cup back to Alberta—he would achieve the impossible. Bowman would make Glen Sather’s controversial decision on Aug. 9, 1988, look like child’s play.
