Former Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy will be the most sought-after candidate when coaching jobs become available throughout the NHL.
The Edmonton Oilers may, or may not, be looking to interview Cassidy, but a report from national insider Frank Seravalli suggests the Knights will not grant permission just yet to their Pacific Division rival.
According to the report, the Oilers have asked the Knights for permission to interview Cassidy, but the Knights are withholding Edmonton from doing so at the moment.
Seravalli reports that the Knights are keeping the Oilers in the waiting game as they continue their second-round series against the Anaheim Ducks.
Attempts to get a comment from the Knights on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
The report also notes the Knights could be withholding the Oilers from interviewing Cassidy for a job that’s not even open yet. Coach Kris Knoblauch, who took the Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, is still under contract.
Cassidy, 60, has one year remaining on his five-year contract when the Knights hired him in June 2022. He was fired with eight games remaining in the regular season, and the team hired John Tortorella.
The Knights went on to win the Pacific Division and advanced to the second round for the fifth time in nine years.
Any team with a coaching vacancy would want to bring in a Stanley Cup-winning bench boss, especially one with the pedigree of Cassidy.
His 470 wins are ninth most among active coaches. He’s needed 829 games across stops in Washington, Boston and Vegas to reach that mark.
Cassidy said on April 28, as a guest panelist on TNT’s playoff coverage, that he “would’ve liked to have seen it through” to the end of the season before the Knights made the shocking change.
“You grind for 74 games and you want to be there at the end,” he said. “That’s the payoff — playing for the Cup, getting your name on the Cup again.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
