The true reason Vegas blocked Edmonton from hiring Bruce Cassidy has been revealed

When the Oilers first approached the Vegas Golden Knights about speaking to Bruce Cassidy, LeBrun reported on Melnick in the Afternoon, Kris Knoblauch was still employed as Edmonton's head coach.

That timing, LeBrun noted, rubbed Vegas the wrong way.

The competitive motivation to say no was already sitting there. Cassidy remains under contract with the Golden Knights at $5 million annually, and Vegas is under no obligation to hand a Pacific Division rival their fired coach.

Nick Kypreos had already reported that rivalry factor was central to the block.

LeBrun's detail layers a second problem on top of the first. The Oilers didn't simply get blocked - they approached Vegas in a way that handed the Golden Knights a professional grievance to stack alongside the competitive one.

Edmonton gave them two reasons to refuse instead of one.

That distinction matters because it means the friction between the two organizations wasn't purely territorial.

The Oilers complicated their own top pursuit before Stan Bowman had a realistic path to executing it.

Vegas eventually blocked the Los Angeles Kings as well, confirming the Pacific rivalry was a driving force regardless.

But Edmonton entered the process at a disadvantage.

The path forward for Bowman looks cleaner than headlines suggest. The NHL cleared Mike Babcock to coach on June 18 following an NHLPA-requested investigation, and Edmonton also received permission from Toronto to interview Craig Berube.

Two legitimate options are in play.

The Cassidy pursuit, though, left a mark. The Oilers needed a frictionless process to land their top target and instead wrote the blueprint for their own rejection.

LeBrun just explained exactly why the door slammed so firmly shut.