Craig Berube is now allowed to speak to the Oilers

The Vegas Golden Knights have been making headlines left and right lately.

Not only did they tell the Oilers (and the Kings) they didn't have permission to speak with Bruce Cassidy, but they also saw John Tortorella get hit with a $100,000 fine and cost his team a second-round pick after refusing to speak to the media.

Oh, and they also managed to make it to the Western Conference Finals.

Preventing Bruce Cassidy from speaking to other teams, even though he'd been fired, didn't exactly go over well with many hockey fans.

And rightly so.

The rumor was that the Oilers might eventually get the green light to talk to Cassidy about the (now vacant) head coaching job in Edmonton.

And now, Elliott Friedman has stated on X that the Alberta club has been given the green light to speak with the coach.

32 Thoughts Monday morning playoff preview, news & interview pod. Not reported in it, but heard this morning: Oilers have permission to talk to Craig Berube.

Today's guest is Henrik Sedin. Great answers to terrible questions.

Links to your preferred platform, here:…

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 18, 2026

We imagine that teams like the Kings and the Maple Leafs, to name just a few, who may want to speak with Cassidy will also be able to do so soon.

Did Vegas change its mind because of public pressure? I doubt it.

Because of a meeting with the commissioner, who may have made it clear that it's not just about avoiding bad press? Because the plan was always to wait a bit?

These are questions that come to mind.

Extension

Let's not forget that the Oilers can't exactly afford to miss the mark with their next head coach hire. After all, the franchise's future is on the line, given the two-year contract Connor McDavid recently signed.

We'll see if Cassidy is indeed the right man for the job.