Edmonton Oilers
Statement from the NHLCA Addresses Bruce Cassidy Drama
The NHLCA (coaches association) has released a statement regarding the Bruce Cassidy drama in Vegas. They aren’t thrilled.
Bruce Cassidy was fired by the Vegas Golden Knights on March 29, 2026, with just eight games left in the regular season. He was replaced by John Tortorella, and the team has gone on a playoff run since, still battling and now set to face the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final. Meanwhile, teams are calling Vegas to ask for permission to interview Cassidy, including the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings.
Cassidy had been the head coach since 2022, led Vegas to the 2023 Stanley Cup, and had a strong overall record (178-99-43). It’s no surprise he’s the hottest free agent coach on the market, nor a shocker that teams would want to see if he’d be interested in joining their organization.
Related: The NHL Makes a Ruling on Golden Knights Sanctions Appeal
Despite being fired, Cassidy remains under contract with Vegas and has a contract for the upcoming season. This gives the Golden Knights the contractual right to control whether other NHL teams can interview him for head coaching vacancies.
The NHL’s Coaches Association doesn’t like what Vegas is doing to one of its own. They released a statement on Tuesday, saying this is unprecedented.
They write:
“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. 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.”
Recent reports suggest the NHL is not likely to step in here. If the Golden Knights want to pay Cassidy’s salary to keep him off the market or go to a division rival, they can. Even if the NHL doesn’t agree with that from an ethical standpoint, or with the trend of letting coaches interview, there isn’t much the league can do from a legal standpoint.
This is potentially bad news for the Oilers and Kings, both of whom wanted to make pitches to hire Cassidy. If he’s not allowed to interview and the NHL can’t force Vegas — who they seem to have a beef with these days — to let him speak with other teams, both the Oilers and Kings might have to move on.
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