Cassidy to Edmonton? Heavy smoke on Oilers coaching move
Multiple credible insiders say Vegas may allow Bruce Cassidy to interview with the Oil once season ends.
Bruce Cassidy will coach the Edmonton Oilers this year — or so says Rod Pedersen, an NHL insider known for breaking the news in 2019 that Ken Holland would become the Oilers' GM.
Pedersen posted Friday after interviewing Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley: "Write it down… Bruce Cassidy will be coaching the Edmonton Oilers this year."
He's not alone. St. Louis hockey insider Andy Strickland posted: "You really don't think teams like Edmonton can't have back channel communication with Bruce Cassidy? There are certainly ways to talk, Vegas will eventually allow permission once their season ends. If not Bettman will get involved."
John Shannon of the 100% Hockey podcast has consistently said Vegas would eventually grant Cassidy permission to sign with another team. Speaking to Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now this week, Shannon said: "Yeah, I do think it will happen. I think what you're looking at in many ways — and part of this is my own personal opinion on how the Golden Knights do business — is creating a level playing field, and the level playing field is when hockey is over, and so that there are no advantages given to any teams looking towards the future and plotting things for the future, while the Golden Knights, for the sake of argument, are still playing hockey. So I do think and do expect at a certain time that George McPhee and Kelly McCrimmon will grant Bruce Cassidy an opportunity to interview."
Pedersen, Strickland, and Shannon are credible sources with reputations on the line. Their comments don't guarantee anything — but they signal heavy smoke. Vegas has been blocking Cassidy from talks with other teams, and the timeline remains uncertain. The Cassidy saga will likely produce more twists before any resolution, but insiders see fire beneath the speculation.