Oilers fire Kris Knoblauch after reportedly seeking permission from Golden Knights to interview Bruce Cassidy

The Edmonton Oilers are moving on from head coach Kris Knoblauch, the team announced on Thursday. The news arrives in the wake of a report from Frank Seravalli earlier this week that noted the Oilers had sought permission from the Vegas Golden Knights to interview their former head coach, Bruce Cassidy.Assistant coach Mark Stuart, who was hired in July 2022, was also dismissed."Following a thorough review of this past season, we believe these changes are needed. We are grateful for the contributions both Kris and Mark have made to our organization and we wish them the best moving forward," said Oilers general manager and president of hockey operations Stan Bowman in a statement.Knoblauch, 47, took over for Jay Woodcroft in November 2023 and instantly turned things around, leading Edmonton to the first of two straight Stanley Cup Final appearances. The Oilers came up short both times, falling to the Florida Panthers twice. After the Anaheim Ducks bounced them from the first round of this year’s playoffs, they’re still in search of their first Stanley Cup since the 1989-90 season.What makes Knoblauch’s firing particularly head-scratching is that, in October, the Oilers signed him to a three-year extension through the 2028-29 season.Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournamentAs for his potential replacement, Cassidy, Vegas fired him with only eight games remaining in the regular season. But since Cassidy still has time left on his deal and continues to be paid by the Knights, interested teams have to go through Vegas to interview the one-time Stanley Cup champion head coach. That practice is usually a formality in these situations; however, the Knights have reportedly withheld permission from the Oilers, a Pacific Division rival, to interview Cassidy.Rather than outright deny Edmonton permission, Vegas has kept the Oilers waiting, according to Seravalli’s report, which also included that the Los Angeles Kings are a suitor for Cassidy’s services, too.Cassidy, 60, has a 470-254-9-96 record as an NHL head coach. He took the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final during the 2018-19 season. Four years later, in his first season at the helm in Vegas, he led the Knights to their first-ever Stanley Cup.Late this season, John Tortorella took Cassidy’s place and has Vegas up 3-2 in a second-round series against the Ducks entering Game 6 on Thursday in Anaheim.From the experts at Yahoo SportsAs for the Oilers, they took a noticeable step back this season under Knoblauch. Star forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl even discussed that regression. Edmonton finished with its lowest points percentage since 2018-19, the most recent season the team didn’t make the playoffs.In today’s NHL, head coaches have remarkably short leashes. While the Oilers found success with Knoblauch behind the bench, they became stagnant this season, and now Edmonton is turning the page.