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.

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.

If that is the case, the Broadway Blueshirts may be his preferred destination, but another Original Six franchise may have a say in the matter. In the event that McDavid asks out of the Gateway to the North, there are reportedly two organizations expected to lead the sweepstakes: the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens.

“Montreal and New York (Rangers) would therefore be two of the few places [McDavid] would consider,” Marc-Olivier Beaudoin of BPM Sports reported on his X account. “In the event of a situation where he wanted to leave Edmonton, the CH would be on his very short list of a few teams where he would agree to be traded. Or to sign if he reaches full autonomy on July 1, 2028.“

NY Rangers lack assets

On paper, there may be no offer good enough for the Oilers to part with the best player in the NHL. However, in reality, Edmonton may not have much of a choice.

That is why a team like the Rangers could be in the mix despite having a prospect pool that remains a work in progress and draft assets that do not match those of several other organizations around the league. At the end of the day, everything is balanced out by a key factor: urgency.

That same factor led the Toronto Maple Leafs to trade Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights and, in return, acquire only Nicolas Roy. In any other situation, such an offer would not even be considered. When the clock is ticking and unrestricted free agency is knocking on the door, that is when anything goes.

Timing is NY Rangers’ ally

For a team like the Rangers, that urgency may well put them in the lead. If McDavid wants to go there, he will most likely get his wish fulfilled one way or another. McDavid could ask to be traded or wait it out and sign in the Big Apple—or the City of Saints—as a UFA.

The Rangers would have to wait until 2028 for the latter outcome. That may be a good thing, though, as they could further improve their asset pool in the meantime. Plus, the Blueshirts have time to spare—and so do the Habs, albeit to a different extent. The Oilers do not. They are in a race against the clock, and nothing has gone their way as of late.

McDavid’s contract situations raises concerns for Oilers

The Oilers are set to enter the first season of McDavid’s two-year, $25 million contract. Once it expires, he will become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) unless Edmonton convinces him to stay.

At the moment, having lost in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, fired its head coach, and been blocked from reaching top target Bruce Cassidy, it appears either that McDavid is deeply committed to the city and the club or that he genuinely believes a Stanley Cup is imminent in Edmonton—some might say he’s delusional if it’s the latter.

McDavid’s deal includes a full no-movement clause (NMC). That could come back to bite the Oilers. It means McDavid holds all the cards when it comes to his future. If he asks out, he will only waive his clause to join a team of his choosing.

Rangers and Canadiens could face dream scenario

If the Habs and Rangers are indeed his top priorities, they would have little reason to overpay—or even pay full value—for the best player in the NHL. If Edmonton refuses to accept New York’s and Montreal’s lowball offers, that is fine with them. They could simply wait for his contract to expire and pursue him in free agency.

For the Oilers, that is the worst-case scenario in a situation that is already a nightmare made flesh for the organization. With every passing second that Edmonton’s championship window closes, the door opens on a trade request from McDavid. In that event, the Oilers would be left with no choice but to fulfill their captain’s demands.

If not, they risk losing him to free agency, and Stan Bowman knows that could come at a steep cost to both his job security and his reputation around the league. After all, which team would give the man who lost the most talented player in the league to free agency another shot? Still, the NHL—more often than not—operates in mysterious ways.

McDavid wants to win in Edmonton

McDavid made that crystal clear ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season. When he addressed the media after re-signing on a team-friendly, two-year deal, the Oilers’ captain expressed that his ultimate goal is always to win the Stanley Cup—and to do so in Northern Alberta.

However, his commitment to the city can only go so far. He will turn 30 midway through next season. Indeed, McDavid wants to win in Edmonton, but his desire to win comes first. If the recent trend continues and the Oilers keep steering away from the decisions that would make them true contenders, McDavid could finally raise his hand, ask out, and shut the door on his future in the Gateway to the North.

Needless to say, the organization could enter a downward spiral, and heads may roll. There is only one way out of this mess for the Oilers: winning.

The Golden Knights are off to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final. While Mitch Marner is cherishing every bit of his success in Vegas, there is someone who is not enjoying the postseason journey, and it is Cassidy, who is being prevented from joining other NHL teams by his former club. Cassidy remained patient, but his tolerance is wearing thin.

“It’s upsetting, to be honest,” Cassidy said about Vegas not giving teams permission to interview him, via Spittin’ Chiclets. “Once you’re fired, your contract is basically terminated. There was two teams that asked it’s public knowledge now, and I would like to talk to them. I want to go to work. I’m a hockey coach.”

Cassidy can’t resign

With one year left in his contract with the Golden Knights, Cassidy is set to earn $4.5 million during the 2026-27 NHL season. Much is being speculated about his deal and whether signing with a different team would still leave Vegas footing the bill. Others argue why Cassidy simply doesn’t resign to his contract. The answer is simple: he’d be waving almost $5 million goodbye in doing so.

“You have non-compete clauses. So, I can’t resign today and go work for someone tomorrow. I can’t work until Vegas gives me permission and this contract is up, which is at the end of next season. If I resign all I do is not get paid. I’ve got kids to take care of,” Cassidy added.

Vegas goes after Edmonton

Amid the loud buzz around the NHL, Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon has instead shifted the spotlight onto the Oilers. As reported by TSN’s OverDrive, McCrimmon had this to say about the denied interview request: “It’s only news because Edmonton leaked it.”

It is hard to see why the Oilers would leak such a report considering they had not formally fired Kris Knoblauch when the news broke, and the drama played a decisive role in parting ways with him. If it is true and Edmonton indeed leaked the denied interview request, it may have been a means to force Vegas’ hand. Still, it looks unlikely—or it was simply very foolish on the Oilers’ part.

There is also a scenario in which Vegas—or another interested party—was behind it, and perhaps the team in Sin City is now lying—or hiding the truth. After all, the house always wins, and it is clear who runs the table in the Entertainment Capital of the World. The Golden Knights may have stacked the deck, whereas the Oilers and Cassidy might be rolling snake eyes.

Tough pill to swallow for Edmonton

Thus, all the reports and Cassidy’s comments do is paint a tough picture for the Oilers. Entering the last somewhat calm season with McDavid—as he will be a pending UFA throughout the 2027-28 campaign—Edmonton needs certainty.

It is clear Cassidy is the top target in the Gateway to the North, but it simply looks like it will not happen. At least not this offseason, not as long as the Golden Knights have the final say.

Oilers are left with few options

So what choices are the Oilers left with? They could sign a coach for a transition year until Cassidy becomes available next offseason, but that is far from sound business for them. For starters, it sends the wrong message to both the fans and McDavid, who are equally desperate to win a Stanley Cup.

On the other hand, there is no guarantee Cassidy will still be available by the time Edmonton knocks on his door next offseason. And lastly, what kind of NHL head coach would agree to sign a temporary contract just to keep a seat warm for his replacement? Obviously, not the kind of bench boss capable of guiding the Oilers back to Stanley Cup glory.

Vegas has Edmonton virtually dead to rights, Cassidy locked in chains at the top of its castle, and the NHL unwilling to move an inch or even act as if it will intervene. The cherry on top? All this is happening with the organization now favored to win the Stanley Cup. The Golden Knights might be setting a bad precedent, and there may be nothing the league can do to stop them.

“I’d put Craig Berube below Peter Laviolette right now,” insider Chris Johnston said during an appearance on The Nielson Show about the Oilers‘ search for Kris Knoblauch’s replacement.

Although his last memory behind an NHL bench is not too exciting, Laviolette remains an intriguing name. McDavid and the Oilers reportedly have no way of hiring Bruce Cassidy away from the Vegas Golden Knights, which virtually leaves them searching for the next best coach available. Laviolette may very well be it.

Laviolette’s tenure with NY Rangers

Indeed, his New York Rangers missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs during the 2024-25 NHL campaign with a 39-36-7 record, one year removed from their Presidents’ Trophy win in 2023-24. Still, Laviolette led New York to its third Presidents’ Trophy and the most wins in a season in franchise history.

In more ways than one, it feels like McDavid and the Oilers could do much worse than hiring Laviolette as their head coach going forward. Especially if Vegas is serious about its blockade against Edmonton. The organization in Oil Country may wait for things to develop around Cassidy, but that could mean risking Laviolette signing somewhere else.

Laviolette wants to coach again

As the former Rangers head coach admitted weeks ago, he enjoyed his one-year vacation from the league—his first season in 25 years without an NHL job—which the Blueshirts had to pay for since he was still under contract. But he is ready to get back in the game.

The Oilers’ head coaching gig may be the most appealing vacancy on the continent. If Edmonton indeed extends him a formal offer, it may not take long for Laviolette to pounce on the opportunity.

The Oilers are down to their last bullets in the chamber, but it feels as if their gunpowder is completely drenched. The NHL believes the Golden Knights are within their rights to hold onto Cassidy. Meanwhile, Cassidy cannot—or simply will not—terminate his contract, which guarantees him $4.5 million in 2026-27.

“Ultimately it just feels like the Golden Knights are not going to hand Bruce Cassidy over for next season to Edmonton, that’s just the way it feels,” Chris Johnston said on The Nielson Show.

Oilers are in trouble

All things considered, it feels like the Oilers have no way of convincing the Knights. Edmonton dug itself into a deep hole with the firing of Kris Knoblauch. Vegas will not just toss its divisional rival a lifeline by serving Cassidy on a silver platter.

For the time being, the Golden Knights can—rightfully—stay busy in their chase for the Stanley Cup. Fully focused on capturing the franchise’s second championship, Vegas has little time to concern itself with other matters and will not spend even a second worrying about another organization’s trouble behind the bench.

Decisions on UFAs

The Oilers were buyers in this year’s NHL trade deadline yet had nothing to show for after their heartbreaking first-round exit. Now, it’s time for them to make decisions on players whose contracts are up on July 1st. Namely, on Adam Henrique, as well as rentals Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy. According to a report, Edmonton has already reached a conclusion.

“I imagine there will be conversations with Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson, I don’t think Adam Henrique is back,” David Pagnotta stated during an appearance on Oilers Nation Everyday.

Henrique is coming off a rough season in Oil Country. The veteran center registered just 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in 65 games and made a lone appearance with no points in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. As for Dickinson and Murphy, they were quite pleasant additions to the lineup, and Edmonton is seemingly excited about what they can do in a full season alongside McDavid and company.

Oilers face trouble with McDavid

Convincing McDavid to stay even longer in the Gateway to the North is another hot topic, but for the time being, Edmonton has other pending tasks. When it comes to the future of their franchise player, the Oilers will cross that bridge when they come to it.

The Vegas Golden Knights may be completely blocking McDavid’s Oilers from reaching Cassidy, but it may not be able to last much longer. Vegas’ main argument for not granting teams permission is based on the fact it is still alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and that allowing its former head coach to interview with other teams could come back to bite the Golden Knights during their postseason run.

Thus, the math is simple regarding when Cassidy should be made available for interview requests. Or at least, the Knights will have to come up with better excuses.

“The moment that Vegas is eliminated from the playoffs or wins the Stanley Cup, you will hear that Bruce Cassidy has an opportunity to interview,” John Shannon said on Donnie and Dhali: The Team. “It’s going to be by the middle of June that we all hear Cassidy is available to talk to other teams.”

NHL won’t step in

If the NHL wanted to turn a blind eye to the whole situation, the Coaches’ Association coming to the rescue of McDavid and the Oilers may have put the league on notice. Still, it seems like there is nothing the commissioner can do because, in its own words, the Golden Knights have done nothing wrong so far. It is not exactly sportsmanlike, but it is all within the rulebook.

“From NHL perspective, the league feels the Vegas response to date is consistent with the team’s existing contractual rights, as well as with established league policy. So, it remains very much up to the Golden Knights if and when teams can talk to Cassidy while he’s under contract,” as reported by TSN insider Pierre LeBrun.

With the league taking such a passive stance, the Oilers have an even better understanding of where they stand in their pursuit of Cassidy. Edmonton will either remain patient or tear its hair out over the current situation.

Knoblauch’s future

Although the Oilers fired Kris Knoblauch, they will have to foot the bill on his contract. Knoblauch had signed a three-year extension before the Cassidy drama cost him his job. As he was relieved of his duties without cause, Edmonton will have to pay him for the next three years. According to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, Knoblauch will go on a sabbatical before taking another coaching job in the league.

“We can likely cross Kris Knoblauch’s name off of any coaching candidates list out there for now,” Spector wrote on his X account. Knoblauch has three years left on his contract with the Oilers, running through 2028-29.

For the time being, thus, Knoblauch may not entertain any interviews, and Edmonton will not be put in a situation where it must decide who can and cannot speak with him. Still anything can happen. Perhaps the Oilers end up being the pot calling the kettle black.

Unfortunately for the Oilers, the interest doesn’t seem to be reciprocal. According to a report from an NHL insider, Babcock has ruled out the rumors with a straightforward statement. Edmonton will have to look elsewhere for its 10th head coach in the last 15 years—and McDavid‘s sixth since being selected with the first overall pick in 2015.

“I’m retired. Loving it,” Mike Babcock told Darren Dreger, as TSN‘s insider’s reported.

Babcock’s numbers

Babcock has been away from the NHL since his brief, yet highly controversial tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Stanley Cup-winning coach—who won in 2008 with the Detroit Red Wings—resigned from his position in Columbus just months after signing due to an investigation into improper behavior.

So far in his career, Babcock has coached in 1,301 games. The 63-year-old bench-boss boasts a 700-418-164-19 (W-L-OT-T) record. His 700 wins put him on 12th for most by a head coach in NHL history.

If he were to come out of retirement, Babcock would become the fifth active coach with the most victories, only trailing Joel Quenneville, Paul Maurice, Lindy Ruff, and John Tortorella.

Edmonton still searching for head coach

Based on his reported answer to Dreger, it does not look as if he will come out of retirement to coach McDavid and the rest of the title-hungry team in Edmonton. For the franchise in the Gateway to the North, its search for a replacement for Kris Knoblauch is only just beginning, and it will not get away with cutting any corners.

Although the NHL Coaches’ Association has come to McDavid and the Oilers’ rescue—or at least tried to force the league’s hand into taking action—the Golden Knights are standing firm. They are not giving the Oilers, nor other divisional rivals permission to speak with Cassidy, not for as long as they remain alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. What happens afterward remains uncertain, and every option is still on the table. Even a brazen move by the front office in Sin City.

“Maybe [the Golden Knights] want him back coaching their team next season, which would be in their right,” David Alter of The Hockey News wrote on his X account. “Tortorella is only locked in for the remainder of this season. But even that would be ridiculous.“

Vegas could bring Cassidy back

Even for an organization as recklessly ground-breaking as the Golden Knights, such a move would shock the rest of the NHL. It is a known fact that Vegas has nerve, but firing Cassidy with eight games left in the season, bringing in Tortorella for the postseason, reaching the Conference Finals, only to part ways with Torts and bring back Cassidy—might be a lot even for the Knights.

The Golden Knights take pride in their avant-garde approach, but such a decision would take things to an extreme. Still, it is all within legal boundaries. As is their decision not to grant other teams’ permission to interview Cassidy.

“From NHL perspective, the league feels the Vegas response to date is consistent with the team’s existing contractual rights, as well as with established league policy. So, it remains very much up to the Golden Knights if and when teams can talk to Cassidy while he’s under contract,” as reported by Pierre LeBrun.

Cassidy’s contract

Cassidy is signed through the 2026-27 campaign, and the Knights are bound to pay him $4.5 million. If they are going to foot the bill, they might as well enjoy the dinner.

For the head coach, he would most likely not be on board with such treatment from the organization, but he is under contract regardless. Cassidy wants to be paid what he signed for, and he still wants to coach a Stanley Cup contender. By returning behind Vegas’ bench at T-Mobile Arena, he would get both.

Vegas may actually pull it off

Casting every moral restriction aside, it is certainly possible Vegas could bring Cassidy back and leave Edmonton still clueless in its head coaching search. The house always wins in Sin City, and the Knights may be playing with an ace up their sleeve.

Perhaps Kelly McCrimmon finds a solution to the age-old dilemma, and Vegas somehow, some way—jumping the line with the league’s CBA and morality lessons—manages to have its cake and eat it too.

However, the soap opera in Oil Country may have led to confusion, and the timer may have been set wrong. According to a report circulating around the league, there is a chance the Oilers mistimed their championship window. As a result, Edmonton could have even less time left with McDavid than previously thought.

“I think the Connor McDavid [Stanley Cup] window is one year,” Ryan Rishaug stated on TSN. “Everybody talks about two years left on his deal. [But] the inflection point is next summer.”

Oilers are in trouble

Coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers were in for a rude awakening at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks. Edmonton hadn’t been bounced in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2021, but in more ways than one, it feels like the Oilers are back to square one.

Kris Knoblauch has been fired, and the organization is already stumbling out of the gate in its coaching search. To make matters worse, reports indicate McDavid’s Oilers are completely blocked from reaching Bruce Cassidy, who is believed to be the franchise’s top candidate.

Perhaps this is the kind of adversity McDavid and company need to rediscover their edge and emerge as a different team next season. That may be wishful thinking, though. One thing is clear: if Edmonton can’t turn the tide, an even bigger storm could brew along the banks of the North Saskatchewan River.

McDavid could ask for trade

If McDavid believes the organization takes another step backward in 2026-27, he could very well request a trade ahead of the 2027-28 campaign. He’ll be entering the final year of his contract by then, and it’s safe to assume he’d prefer the security of a long-term deal in case of injury. Whether he’d want to sign that contract in the Gateway to the North, however, is another question entirely. For the time being, most analysts would bet against it.

What was once viewed as a two-year championship window may instead prove to have been a one-year lease. The outlook is far from encouraging. The organization still hasn’t addressed the issues that have repeatedly cost McDavid a Stanley Cup—namely its lack of depth up front and on the blue line, along with the absence of a playoff-proven goaltender.

The Oilers also have no certainty behind the bench heading into next season, while the front office appears to be operating on borrowed time. Perhaps Stan Bowman and company have only as much time as McDavid is willing to give them. Needless to say, if the 2026-27 campaign truly is Edmonton’s last chance to convince its captain to stay, it’s off to an awful start.

Not only are the Golden Knights giving McDavid and the Oilers, a despised divisional foe, the short end of the stick, but they are also hurting Cassidy’s chances of landing another job. As a result, the Coaches’ Association (NHLCA) released a stern statement demanding action from the league.

“The NHLCA has been closely monitoring the situation involving Bruce Cassidy. While we respect the League’s rules and processes, it is our position that coaches who remain under contract, but are no longer working for their Club, should not be prevented from pursuing other employment opportunities,” the official statement read.

“It would be unprecedented at the head coaching level should multiple teams be denied permission to speak with Coach Cassidy. The situation is still unfolding, but our priority is to protect the interests of our members in this type of circumstance.”

Cassidy is still on Vegas’ payroll

Though he was fired without cause, Cassidy is still set to earn $4.5 million from the Golden Knights during the 2026-27 NHL season. As the saying goes, he who pays the piper calls the tune, and Vegas is taking the idiom to the limit.

Because of league regulations, the Knights are not exactly in the wrong—breaching morality’s borders, perhaps, but not crossing any legal boundaries. As loud as the Coaches’ Association and the Oilers cry out, it may all fall on deaf ears.

NHL plans no sanction to Golden Knights

According to reports, the NHL is maintaining the $100,000 fine and stripping the Knights of a second-round pick for missing their media obligations after Game 6 of the series against the Anaheim Ducks, but there has been no punishment for their handling of Cassidy’s future. And it seems there will not be one in the future, either.

Still, the NHLCA’s statement may be an encouraging sign for McDavid and the Oilers that the battle is not lost yet. Perhaps the Coaches’ Association can force the league commissioner’s hand. It feels like a long shot, but Edmonton will hold on to any beacon of hope.

Oilers are to blame, too

Considering how Edmonton handled its own head coaching situation, the Oilers are no choir boys, either. With Knoblauch still under contract and set for a three-year extension to kick in next summer, they requested an interview with Cassidy.

Their plan blew up in their face once the interest was leaked. Left with no choice but to admit their mistake and relieve Knoblauch of his duties, the front office led by Stan Bowman now faces crucial hours. As everybody in Oil Country has been reminded, oil spills only make a bigger mess.

Perhaps it’s a good thing McDavid’s Oilers are leaning toward Craig Berube as the Knights maintain their blockade. Berube may not be the top candidate in Edmonton, but right now he might be the best available option, and it doesn’t look like Cassidy will become available anytime soon. Vegas holds all the cards, and the house never loses in Sin City.

“As for Bruce Cassidy, sources indicate that was not part of the conversation and his status is unchanged as of this morning. Vegas is not inclined to give permission to Edmonton or Los Angeles,” insider Elliotte Friedman reported on his X account. “We will see about Toronto.”

Vegas in full control

After firing Cassidy without cause, the Golden Knights are still set to pay him $4.5 million next season. Vegas decides who can interview him and who cannot, and there is nothing Cassidy—or anybody else, for that matter—can do about it.

Even if he wanted to, Cassidy cannot opt out of his contract. Doing so would mean walking away from a guaranteed fortune for the chance at an interview, so it is unlikely the Stanley Cup-winning head coach would even consider it.

Still, it goes to show just how much control the Golden Knights have. They’ve built a fortress around their former head coach in the Entertainment Capital of the World, and it looks unbreachable.

Oilers’ plan backfired

As if the Oilers weren’t in enough trouble, the leaked interview request for Cassidy left them with no choice but to fire Kris Knoblauch and are now staring at a big void in the head coaching department. Had it played its cards better, Edmonton could have tested the waters around Cassidy without giving up Knoblauch.

The Oilers didn’t play their hand right, and their house of cards came crashing down as a result. Now, they are mostly out of the race for Cassidy and have already moved on from Knoblauch. Needless to say, they are in a lot of trouble, and the timing could not be much worse.

Edmonton has been handed a two-year championship window with McDavid under contract. The team in Oil Country started it by moving on from the coach who led it to consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, and it has no immediate successor in place.

Oilers could wait a year

If the Oilers are serious about Cassidy, and he feels the same way about them, they could wait until next offseason when his contract in Vegas expires. However, Edmonton would be risking a lot by doing so. For starters, there is no guarantee Cassidy will still be available in 2027. Moreover, the Oilers must hire a head coach for the 2026-27 campaign.

Needless to say, “We’re hiring you, but we’ll move on from you next year” is not exactly an effective pitch during coaching interviews. The alternative route would be promoting an interim head coach, but that sends a terrible message to McDavid and company. In the end, the Oilers may have no other choice but to move in a different direction and accept that hiring Cassidy simply was not meant to be.