Overview
- Deputy commissioner Bill Daly and commissioner Gary Bettman publicly said the Golden Knights are within their contractual rights to refuse interview permission, comments that surfaced around Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
- Vegas has denied reported interview requests from the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings for Bruce Cassidy, who was fired by the Golden Knights late in the regular season and remains under contract for one more year.
- Cassidy has told reporters he would forfeit the roughly $4.5–$5 million the club owes him just to be allowed to interview for current openings.
- Rival clubs have begun pursuing alternatives — for example, Edmonton has spoken with Craig Berube — and John Tortorella’s short-term hire in Las Vegas has left the Knights’ long-term coaching plan unsettled.
- The league noted some contracts would block this outcome but said Cassidy’s did not, a stance that could set precedent for coach mobility and which the NHL said it may revisit after the postseason.