Cassidy Situation Not the First Run-In Between Oilers and Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights are not in anyone’s good books right now, and the Edmonton Oilers, in particular, have plenty of reason to be unhappy with their Pacific Division rival.

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Vegas’ continued refusal to allow Edmonton to speak with Bruce Cassidy has put a major wrench in the Oilers’ search for a new bench boss. The veteran Stanley Cup-winning head coach would undoubtedly be atop their wishlist, but instead, they’re left waiting somewhat in the dark as to whether that opportunity will ever become a possibility.

It’s a frustrating situation for Edmonton, however, according to insider David Pagnotta, this isn’t the first time the Golden Knights have blocked the Oilers in their attempt to hire a coach from within the organization.

Pagnotta said:

“But this is not the first incident involving this scenario between Edmonton and Vegas. A few years ago, the Edmonton Oilers asked for permission to speak with one of the assistant coaches within the Vegas/Henderson organization. They were granted permission, the interview took place, and this individual was offered an assistant coaching job with the Oilers. Vegas then denied that pursuit and held onto the contract. He was then elevated within the organization about a year or so later.

But this is not the first time this has happened between these two clubs. So I wonder if this is just continuing because they don’t want to deal with divisional rivals, but I’m sure there’s a little more to the backstory. I found that one interesting—this incident occurred a few years ago,”

The 61-year-old Cassidy was, of course, fired by Vegas in late March and replaced by John Tortorella, who now has the Golden Knights just two wins away from the Stanley Cup Final.

A bitter rivalry that already includes plenty of bad blood between the two organizations is only getting stronger. But if Oilers fans—and the rest of the hockey world—know anything about the Golden Knights, it’s not to expect them to change the way they operate anytime soon. They’ll do whatever they can to gain an edge over the rest of the league.

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