The Edmonton Oilers fired head coach Kris Knoblauch and assistant coach Mark Stuart on Thursday, with all indications pointing to Bruce Cassidy as the strongest candidate for the next head coach of the team. It’s possible the only thing standing in the way of Cassidy’s announcement is permission to talk to him. The Vegas Golden Knights have reportedly not granted permission, perhaps confirming what the hockey world already believes: Cassidy is the perfect fit in Edmonton.

If Cassidy does get the job, the world as Oilers players know it will be over. Cassidy would be coming to town with a system, a game plan for every challenge, and an extreme belief that structure and process are key elements in winning. Daryl Katz has been the team’s owner for close to 20 years; the Cassidy hiring, should it come to pass, would be the best coaching hire since he bought the club.

Here’s what Cassidy, or any veteran coach with an eye to winning the Stanley Cup, should insist on from the team and the players.

Start as you mean to go with management

Any coach looking at the position should know a few truths about the organization.

The Oilers often get in their own way, changing course due to a short-term slump or a downturn in performance due to injury. Trading Brett Kulak in December is an example, and the club has done it many times over the years. At the time of Kulak’s trade, I wrote, “Kulak is off his game. His foot speed has fallen from 87th percentile to less than 50 percent, via NHL Edge, and his five-on-five goal share has cratered (38 percent in 2025-26).” After the Oilers dealt Kulak, he recovered and is now playing a major role in the Colorado Avalanche’s playoff run. A new coach might have to fight for a veteran player going through a slump while also in his walk year, as was the case with Kulak.

The incoming coach should insist on control over his assistant coaches. Cassidy’s goalie coach in 2022-23, the year Vegas won the Stanley Cup, was Sean Burke. The Golden Knights employed five goalies that season, with Adin Hill winning 11 playoff games to secure the championship after stepping in for an injured Laurent Brossoit. Vegas rode some luck that spring, but also had veteran coaches who knew their personnel and deployed them properly. How important was Burke? The head coach should be able to choose his staff.

The defence coach might be the most important hire. Stuart was fired on Thursday, but Paul Coffey’s work over recent seasons suggests he would be a big help to a new coach. He may instead want to climb the ladder on the management side. Cassidy, if he is the next coach, should have carte blanche to make his own decision, but be aware that Coffey has enjoyed significant success and should be considered for his staff. That may also be true of Paul McFarland.

The coach should choose his assistants.

Start as you mean to go with the players

The most difficult hurdle for the new coach will come in asking famous players to step out of their comfort zones. Leon Draisaitl may have to lead a tough minutes line that is hard-matched against the opposition’s best lines, and he’ll need to do it without Connor McDavid. For his part, McDavid will probably be asked to pay more attention to the defensive aspects of his line. That includes interfering with passing lines by using his outstanding anticipation and an active stick, coming down deep into the zone to act as a third defender while also offering a welcome short passing outlet for Edmonton’s defencemen. Asking a generational talent to do the chores may seem ridiculous, but if the goal is winning a championship, all aspects of the game need to be covered.

Perhaps the most difficult task will be fading minutes for veterans who are struggling or making the same mistakes consistently. Oilers veteran Darnell Nurse is capable of going weeks playing terrific hockey (expected goals five-on-five 48 percent from October through the end of December, 52 percent from January through the end of the season). Oilers coaches have ridden the highs and lows since Nurse arrived as a regular player, and his ability to play massive minutes makes him a popular choice. However, he can fall into bad habits that cost goals. If the Oilers are going to be successful, everyone on the roster needs to be accountable, and an off game can send a strong message.

The new coach should insist on a 23-man roster, something the team has had a tough time managing due to cap issues. Oilers general manager Stan Bowman should spend below the cap this summer, allowing the team to carry the full complement of players. Reasons include slumps and fatigue, but most importantly, injuries severe enough to fade a player in the short term. Edmonton has veterans like Zach Hyman, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins whose range of performance was so wide last season it was clear at times they were not at 100 percent. The Oilers should have 23 players on the roster and the ability to recall qualified replacements from the AHL Bakersfield Condors without cap worry.

The owner

Scotty Bowman (Stan’s dad) is the best NHL coach who has ever lived. The new Oilers coach and everyone involved in the organization would do well to pay heed to the elder Bowman’s words years ago about winning. “Success comes from ownership (never interfering), goaltending, and I’ve always been thinking that you can have a firewagon type of hockey, but your ability to play good defence has got to surface.”

That message fits the current Oilers, the team Bowman’s son manages, perfectly. The days of firewagon hockey don’t have to disappear, but the ability to play good defence and find a strong goaltender are key.

The Oilers winning the McDavid lottery has been both a blessing and a curse. The watershed moment was followed immediately by enormous urgency to win the Stanley Cup. A series of veteran general managers have mortgaged the future at each draft and deadline as if time was running out on the McDavid era.

Ironically, as McDavid is about to begin what could be his final contract with the team, the play is to build a team designed to contend annually. Last season began the process of marbling youth on to the roster, and that must continue. The new arrivals must be strong defensively with enough offence to move the needle.

The new coach can drive that plan home to the players, but Bowman has to choose the right man and then populate the roster with 23 players who are dedicated to what Scotty Bowman said decades ago. Bowman also has to flat-out steal a player from another organization for a small asset. Glen Sather did it when acquiring Kent Nilsson in March 1987. This roster needs a repeat nearly 40 years later.

Can Bowman do it? We wait.