- Darren Dreger says he “highly, highly, highly” doubts Vegas lets Edmonton talk to Bruce Cassidy
- The Golden Knights hold Cassidy’s contract through next season and keep blocking the Oilers
- Read below for why Mike Babcock now looks like Edmonton’s most likely hire
The Oilers’ hopes of landing Bruce Cassidy keep shrinking. NHL insider Darren Dreger said Tuesday on Edmonton Sports Talk’s Nielson show that he does not expect the Golden Knights to give Edmonton permission to even speak with him.
Dreger was asked whether Vegas might finally relent now that the Stanley Cup has been handed out.
“It is possible that Kelly McCrimmon and the Vegas Golden Knights relent, and they allow the Oilers to have permission and get to Cassidy. I highly, highly, highly doubt that,” Dreger told the show.
He went further, saying the read came straight from someone close to the situation. “That was amplified by somebody who I feel is in-the-know there last night, I checked in when I landed.”
That block has run the entire offseason. Cassidy is still under contract with Vegas through next year, and the team has refused to let him interview with Edmonton or anyone else. The Oilers reportedly put five years and up to $30 million on the table to get him.
Vegas hired Cassidy in the first place back in 2022, the same deal now keeping him in the desert:
The league has lined up behind Vegas. The NHL says Cassidy remains under contract and that blocking other clubs sits within the team’s rights, with Gary Bettman calling the stance reasonable.
With Cassidy fading, Mike Babcock looks like the man most likely to take over Edmonton’s bench. That hinges on the NHL’s active investigation into his Columbus exit, which the Oilers expect to clear him.
Edmonton already interviewed Craig Berube and Jim Hiller, and Darryl Sutter’s name has surfaced as another fallback. None of them carry the resume Cassidy brings.
The Oilers are stuck waiting on two things out of their hands: Vegas changing its mind, and the league clearing Babcock.
