Bruce Cassidy is back in the conversation around the Edmonton Oilers, and not by accident. The former Vegas Golden Knights coach was fired in March, but his name has resurfaced as Edmonton begins the search for its 19th head coach.
The fit is being judged against a simple backdrop: the Oilers have employed 18 coaches in 46 NHL seasons, and five of them have coached during the Connor McDavid era from 2015-16 through 2025-26. Before McDavid arrived, Edmonton’s average coach lasted almost three years. Since 2015, that figure has dropped to two seasons.
Cassidy’s appeal comes from what he did against Edmonton in the 2023 playoffs. He coached Vegas past the Oilers on the way to the Stanley Cup, and he did it with the kind of in-game adjustments that can matter more in a seven-game series than any résumé line. His line changes helped Jack Eichel avoid tight checking, his shutdown unit led by William Karlsson took away space, and he gave heavy minutes to a fourth line with Nicolas Roy, William Carrier and Keegan Kolesar. When Laurent Brossoit was injured and Adin Hill took over in goal, the switch worked for Vegas.
The numbers from that series were telling. Eichel finished with seven even-strength points, while McDavid had four. Edmonton could not match the same level of control it had shown earlier in the postseason, and Cassidy’s structure helped tilt the matchup in Vegas’ favor.
That matters now because the Oilers are again looking for stability behind the bench, and they are doing it in an organization that has not exactly kept its front office steady either. Stan Bowman is the fifth general manager Edmonton has had since McDavid arrived, while there were eight general managers across the 35 seasons before 2015. The search is shaping up as a test of whether the club wants another reset or a coach with a clearer track record of handling star talent in the playoffs. Local discussion has already included retired former coaches such as Mike Babcock and coaches who have never coached in the NHL such as David Carle, with Kris Knoblauch also in the mix as Edmonton weighs its next move.
There is also a reason some in Edmonton look past Cassidy and toward Jay Woodcroft, the coach he beat in 2023. Woodcroft’s only complete season behind the Oilers bench produced 325 goals, the club’s highest total since 1988-89. He had recalled players from the AHL Bakersfield Condors to deepen the roster, recognized Vincent Desharnais from that system, used Ryan McLeod as a speed option to gain entry cleanly and watched Klim Kostin thrive in his structure. Glen Gulutzan and Paul Coffey were part of that staff, with Coffey described inside the organization as a defense whisperer.
Even so, Edmonton has not been the same offensively since Woodcroft left, and that is what gives the Cassidy debate its edge. He is the rare available coach whose work against the Oilers still feels fresh, specific and relevant, which is why his March dismissal in Vegas now sits at the center of Edmonton’s next decision.
