The Vegas Golden Knights blocked former head coach Bruce Cassidy from interviewing for vacant head coaching positions with the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers, forcing both Pacific Division rivals to alter their offseason coaching searches on Monday.
Vegas retained Cassidy under contract for the 2026-27 season at $4.5 million despite replacing him with John Tortorella late in the season.
The National Hockey League confirmed that the Golden Knights are acting within their contractual rights and league policy.
Kings Move Forward Without Cassidy
Los Angeles Kings General Manager Ken Holland acknowledged the situation during an interview with LA Kings Insider Zach Dooley, emphasizing that the team must move forward without Cassidy.
“The process is, pretty much everyone is under contract to somebody, so you have to ask for permission and then it’s that team’s right to determine if they want to grant permission or if they don’t want to grant permission,” said Holland.
Holland noted that withholding permission is a standard contractual right utilized by organizations across the hockey industry to retain valued staff members.
“Over the years, I’ve had some calls about maybe not head coaches, but people called and we didn’t want to let them go and we found a way to keep them,” said Holland.
The Kings will continue their search by interviewing four to eight candidates before the upcoming draft, with interim coach D.
J. Smith remaining under consideration.
“I’ve been around the game a long time to know that if somebody’s decided that they don’t want to grant permission, they’ve negotiated that right and you move on,” said Holland.
The search process remains under Holland's direct management as he gathers background information on prospective coaches from respected industry contacts.
“I am the one conducting [the search],” said Holland.
Holland plans to narrow the selection pool significantly rather than conducting an overly broad search across the league.
“I’ve talking to a lot of people, I’ve had some interviews and I have some more interviews planned, trying to gather as much information as I can, both through the interview process and I’ve been around a long time, so I know a lot of people in this industry and if I can’t get the information, I know that there’s people who I respect, other general managers, that I can talk to to get information,” said Holland.
The timeline for the final decision remains open but is expected to conclude multiple weeks prior to the entry draft.
“I don’t need or want to talk to 20 people but certainly would like to talk to four, six, eight, keep it somewhat tight,” said Holland.
The front office will evaluate whether Smith's performance warrants a permanent position or if an outside hire is necessary.
“The first part of my due diligence was to put a list together and gather information on all those people,” said Holland.
Smith previously guided Los Angeles to an 11-6-6 regular-season record after replacing Jim Hiller, who went 24-21-14, before the Avalanche swept the Kings.
“Now, I’m working on the interview process,” said Holland.
The management team aims to establish stability behind the bench well ahead of the upcoming league draft obligations.
“I don’t want to put a timeframe on it, but certainly before the draft and at least a couple of weeks before the draft, on the long end, and make a decision of whether we stick with D.
J. Smith or if we go in another direction,” said Holland.
Vegas Focused on Playoffs
Vegas General Manager Kelly McCrimmon addressed the inquiries, stating that the organization remains entirely focused on its current Western Conference Final postseason run.
“We’ve been consistent that our focus currently is on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the teams have respected that,” said McCrimmon.
McCrimmon confirmed he discussed the organizational stance directly with Cassidy to ensure alignment during the playoff run.
“I’ve spoken with Bruce,” said McCrimmon.
The coaching restrictions left Edmonton Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman searching for alternatives following a first-round postseason exit against Anaheim.
“He understands this, as well,” said McCrimmon.
TSN hockey insider Chris Johnston reported on the Nielson Show that Vegas has no intention of helping a division rival like Edmonton.
“Ultimately it just feels like the Golden Knights are not going to hand Bruce Cassidy over for next season to Edmonton, that’s just the way it feels,” said Johnston.
Edmonton faces additional roster decisions before July 1 regarding free agents Adam Henrique, Jason Dickinson, and Connor Murphy, according to David Pagnotta on Oilers Nation Everyday.
“I imagine there will be conversations with Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson, I don’t think Adam Henrique is back,” said Pagnotta.
