Move over, Calgary Flames. The Vegas Golden Knights may have taken your place as the number one rival of the Edmonton Oilers. It all started after word got out that the Oilers were denied permission from Vegas to speak to their former head coach, Bruce Cassidy, about hiring him earlier in May.
This week, Cassidy spoke on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast and said, “ It’s upsetting…There was two teams that asked; it’s public knowledge now, and I would like to talk to them. I want to go to work. I’m a hockey coach.” Meanwhile, Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon went on TSN’s Overdrive, where he stated, “It’s only news because the Edmonton Oilers leaked it.”
The Story Gets More Interesting
On the Got Yer Back Podcast, TSN Oilers reporter and host of the podcast, Ryan Rishaug, brought up an interesting point from an Oilers perspective. “I firmly believe the plan was (for the Oilers) to go quietly, talk to Bruce Cassidy, see what might be possible; if they got a good feeling from it and could get it done, then you pull the trigger.
If you can’t, you’re not spending the owner’s money; you’re not firing this coach who you just convinced the owner to sign; instead, you’re going to round out his coaching staff with more experience. The fact that it leaked basically kicked the feet out from under (former Oilers head coach) Knoblauch in a way where there was no coming back from. I do not buy that Knobluach was guaranteed to be gone.”
Never-Ending Coach Drama
No matter what happens, the Oilers and Vegas rivalry looks like it’s hitting a new level, and the coaching drama that surrounds the two teams has yet to be fully played out. Whether Cassidy becomes the Oilers new head coach or not, it’ll be interesting to watch the two teams play next season. Especially after all of the words that have been exchanged recently. If you’re an Oilers fan, you almost wish the 2026-27 NHL season started tomorrow just to see how intense the games between Edmonton and Vegas will be.
Still Work to Be Done
All eyes in the hockey world will be on Vegas and the Carolina Hurricanes as they face off in the Stanley Cup Final in June. Meanwhile, the Oilers and their general manager, Stan Bowman, are keeping busy trying to re-tool the team that made it to the Stanley Cup Final two years in a row in 2024 and 2025.
With Connor McDavid’s two-year contract starting, the Oilers have a short window to try to win it all. They have a good nucleus, and it’ll be interesting to see what kind of moves the team makes around the NHL Draft on June 26 and then when the NHL Free Agent market opens on July 1.
Cassidy Could Still Become the Oilers’ New Head Coach
Veteran sportscaster and podcaster Rod Pederson weighed in on the Oilers/Golden Knights drama and mentioned on Twitter that “Bruce Cassidy will be coaching the Oilers next year.”
It’s an interesting take and one that could very well happen. Pederson has some solid relationships in the sporting world and was the first source to report that the Oilers were going to sign Ken Holland to be their new general manager back in 2019. You have to believe that where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and Pederson might be on the money yet again when it comes to the Oilers and who they are hiring to be their next head coach.
Watch for Edmonton and Vegas Rivalry to Heat Up Next Season
The 2026-27 NHL schedule will be released in mid-July, and it’ll be interesting to see if Oilers fans will have the Oilers and Golden Knights games circled on their calendars. If Vegas were to go on to beat Carolina and win their second Stanley Cup, you can expect the games against the Golden Knights to be even more meaningful for the Oilers come next hockey season.
In the meantime, everyone will be waiting and watching to see how the Cassidy coaching drama plays out. It’s like an early-summer soap opera that continues to take interesting twists and turns. When it finally does come to an end, you can expect the rivalry between Edmonton and Vegas to be that much more meaningful and intense.
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