Stan Bowman is done waiting for a head coach after latest reported interview
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Daniel Lucente
May 27, 2026 (2:21 PM)
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Photo credit: Jerry Lai-Imagn Images
The headline is that Peter Laviolette has officially interviewed for the Edmonton Oilers head coaching job.
Jason Gregor, one of the most plugged-in voices on the Edmonton beat, went further than any other reporter this week.
"I'm pretty confident - certain - that Laviolette's been interviewed."
- Jason Gregor
- Jason Gregor
That's not speculation. That's a confirmation from someone close enough to the room to know.
Why this interview matters more than the name
Almost every outlet is framing this as a Cassidy-or-bust story. If Vegas won't release Bruce Cassidy from his contract, the Edmonton Oilers move to Laviolette as the backup plan.
That framing treats him as a consolation prize, and it misreads what's actually happening.
Stan Bowman needs a head coach in place before the NHL Draft. The draft is weeks away. That timeline doesn't accommodate an open-ended wait.
Waiting on Cassidy while the Vegas Golden Knights are still alive in the playoffs was already a shrinking window.
Conducting a formal interview with Laviolette is Bowman signaling - quietly, but clearly - that he is not building his entire offseason around someone else's playoff schedule.
The pattern Bowman is actually betting on
Laviolette has guided three separate franchises to the Stanley Cup Final. He won it with Carolina in 2006. He pushed Nashville there in 2017 and Washington in 2018.
Every one of those teams shared the same profile. Elite offensive talent that wasn't converting when it mattered most. A locker room that needed a harder voice, not a new system.
The Edmonton Oilers allowed 269 goals this past season and got physically outworked against the Anaheim Ducks in six games. Connor McDavid played six playoff games and finished at -8. Zach Hyman had zero assists.
That is the exact profile Laviolette has spent his career fixing.
Bowman isn't panicking. He's targeting a specific coach for a specific problem, and Laviolette has the resume to back the bet. The interview tells you he may have already found his answer.
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Why the Oilers' meeting with former Leafs coach tells us more than just a name
Why the Oilers' meeting with former Leafs coach tells us more than just a name