The Edmonton Oilers are expected to have a formal interview with former Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube for their head coach opening, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports.
Hearing a formal interview with Berube is expected after some initial conversation between he and Bowman. Permission to speak with Bruce Cassidy had still not been granted as of Sunday night.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) May 18, 2026
Rishaug also reports that the Oilers are interested in speaking with Bruce Cassidy, who was fired by the Vegas Golden Knights in April, but that permission has not been granted as of Sunday night.
As TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports, the Golden Knights have not given any team permission to speak to Cassidy, who still has a year left on his contract with Vegas.
As of this minute, Vegas still hasn’t given permission to any teams to speak with Bruce Cassidy, who has another year left on his Golden Knights contract. https://t.co/KQWTChlRV9
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 18, 2026
The Oilers fired head coach Kris Knoblauch after parts of three seasons earlier in May, after the team was eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Anaheim Ducks.
Knoblauch took over in November in 2023 and led the Oilers to the playoffs in all three of his seasons at the helm - including back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Florida Panthers both times.
Knoblauch held a record of 135-77-21 over his three seasons at the helm in Edmonton, and a record of 31-22 in the playoffs.
Berube has an extensive coaching history in the NHL after an even longer career as a player. He spent the past two seasons as head coach of the Maple Leafs, finishing with an 84-62-18 mark. He was fired after this season by new general manager John Chayka after a disappointing campaign in which the team finished last in the Atlantic Division.
Prior to joining the Maple Leafs, Berube spent time as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers (2013-15) and St. Louis Blues (2018-24). He won the 2019 Stanley Cup in his first season as head coach with the Blues.
Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said after the season that he believed change was needed, despite the team qualifying for the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season.
“Following a thorough review of this past season, we believe these changes are needed. We are grateful for the contributions [Kris] made to our organization and we wish [him] the best moving forward,” Bowman said in a news release.
Bowman also agreed with captain Connor McDavid’s assessment during the season when he called the Oilers an “average team.”
As LeBrun reported on May 14, the Oilers did not have a coaching replacement lined up when Knoblauch was fired.
