With Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon revealing that the Edmonton Oilers were behind the leak of them being denied to speak to head coach Bruce Cassidy, why did the Oilers decide to make this public?
Edmonton Oilers management is facing some blowback after being accused of revealing they were denied the opportunity to interview former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy for their vacant coaching position.
Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon didn’t hold back in a recent interview on TSN's OverDrive, stating bluntly that the story only became news because Edmonton "leaked it." According to McCrimmon, the situation was never meant to be a storyline until the Oilers made it one.
His comments are intriguing on several fronts. First, he wanted to set the record straight and make sure fingers were pointing away from his Golden Knights. Second, given that denying a coach a chance to interview is still fairly unprecedented, it’s news for more than just the Oilers making it public.
Assuming McCrimmon is being honest – with a confident statement on where the leak came from – the move has left many wondering what Edmonton hoped to accomplish.
By publicizing the rejection, did the Oilers aim to pressure Vegas into allowing the interview? Did they think the negative public reputation might force McCrimmon’s hand? Were Stan Bowman and Jeff Jackson trying to rally support?
If that was the plan, it appears to have backfired.
Not only did McCrimmon not budge, but when the story became public, it essentially forced the Oilers to relieve their then-coach, Kris Knoblauch, of his duties. There was little coming back from the mess the coaching inquiry turned into, which now appears to have been of the Oilers' own doing.
By now, everyone should know that McCrimmon won’t buckle under the outside pressure. He’s not concerned with optics or, frankly, what even the NHL thinks about his organization.
While some viewed the Golden Knights’ decision to block Cassidy from interviewing as harsh, it remains well within their contractual rights following his dismissal. With this decision, McCrimmon is avoiding the opportunity of a coach of Cassidy's caliber to join a division rival. If the Oilers, or anyone else for that matter, doesn’t like it, too bad.
The Golden Knights have made it clear they have zero concern for public optics in this situation. Their stance appears firm, and they will not be rushed or influenced by external noise. Whether they ultimately decide to grant an interview is up to them, but it will happen on their timeline and not anyone else’s.
McCrimmon isn’t bothered one bit by what the Oilers might think. He’s also indifferent to what Cassidy wants. The Vegas GM said he’s aware that Cassidy is itching to coach and find a new job, and he’s had conversations with their former bench boss, but McCrimmon won’t detail anything beyond that.
McCrimmon is forcing everyone to wait until he’s good and ready, which he may never be.
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