Bruce Cassidy Looms As Leafs Trade Talk Shifts For Oilers
The leafs trade noise shifted again when Bruce Cassidy became a possible interview target for the Edmonton Oilers after the Vegas Golden Knights finished their playoff run. Last week, Edmonton had already settled on Mike Babcock as its guy from ownership to management to players.
Cassidy after Vegas ends
Cassidy’s availability now sits at the center of the coaching discussion because Vegas is done playing and Edmonton could move quickly if it wants to ask. That opening is the new variable in a search that had already pointed toward Babcock.
Bruce Cassidy is the head coach in Vegas, and the Golden Knights finishing their playoff run is what creates the opening. If Edmonton wants to explore him, the path is simple: wait for the season to end in Las Vegas and then make the call.
Babcock due diligence
The Oilers were also said to be doing their homework on Babcock by contacting the NHLPA, John Davidson, and former Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen. There are conflicting reports around the investigation into him, but one report says there is much more to the story than just looking at phones.
Another report says Babcock is going to be cleared, and another says the players involved at the time do not want to deal with it anymore. The most likely outcome in the reporting is that he will be green-lighted by the NHL any day now, even though he resigned before the league even launched an investigation into what happened in Columbus in 2023.
Edmonton’s coaching choice
That leaves Edmonton with two tracks that do not line up neatly. Babcock has the internal momentum, but Cassidy is now in play only because Vegas has finished its run.
For Oilers management, the decision point is whether to stay with the coach it has already backed or wait to see if a Stanley Cup-winning coach becomes reachable. The 2023 Columbus issue and the 60-year-old man wanting to scroll through people’s private photos remain the backdrop, and that backdrop still shapes how fast Edmonton can move.
