It appears the wheels are in motion for a coaching change in Edmonton. NHL insider Frank Seravalli took the hockey world by storm with a blockbuster report regarding the Oilers’ effort to line up an interview with former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy.
However, it appears the Golden Knights are yet to give the Oilers the go-ahead. That said, one man who had a stint with the Oilers believes firing Kris Knoblauch may not be the answer to the franchise’s problems.
Jason Demers Questions Oilers’ Plan to Interview Bruce Cassidy
Per Seravalli, the Golden Knights “had not outright denied permission for Edmonton to interview Cassidy, but had more so kept the Oilers waiting as they continue playing their second-round series against Anaheim.”
Even so, Jason Demers, who finished his career with a stint with the Oilers, believes firing Kris Knoblauch is not the solution to Edmonton’s always-the-bridesmaid tendencies.
“Getting rid of Kris Knoblauch feels like it’s wrong. For some reason, I can’t put my finger on why,” Demers wrote on X.
Getting rid of Kris Knoblauch feels like it’s wrong for some reason, I can’t put my finger on why. 🤔🤔
— jason demers (@jasondemers5) May 12, 2026
The Oilers didn’t see much success and failed to grab the regular season by the horns, eventually limping to second place in a ‘pillow fight’ in the Pacific Division. They eventually bowed out to the Anaheim Ducks in six games, marking an end to an uneventful season.
But back to Cassidy.
In nearly four seasons in Sin City, he went 178-99-43. His Golden Knights team beat the Florida Panthers in five games to win the Stanley Cup in 2022-23, but failed to make the Conference Finals over the next two seasons.
A wretched 10-game streak that saw Vegas go 3-5-2 in March 2026 saw Cassidy eventually lose his job. Since then, however, the Cup-winning coach has made it clear he does not want to sit on the sidelines any longer.
During an appearance on the Cam and Strick Podcast, Cassidy said that he’s keeping an eye out for job openings in the league.
“I’m a hockey coach and I’m not getting any younger. I sat the playoffs out this year. That’s what you coach for, right, to get a chance at the Cup? I would not wanna do that next year again,” Cassidy said on the show.
“I’ll tell you right out, I have a desire to get back in. We’ll see what opens, if anything. Right now, there’s nothing open; there usually are some. It’s something I wanna do.”
As things stand, Cassidy still has one year left on his deal at a reported salary of $4.5 million. If he were to be hired by the Oilers, the Golden Knights would simply have to pay him the difference in salary under standard NHL mitigation rules.
Not that Knoblauch would be short of suitors either. While the Oilers did regress this year (by Leon Draisaitl’s own admission), teams like the Los Angeles Kings and, possibly, the Toronto Maple Leafs would be more than happy to bring Knoblauch on board if it comes to that.
