Former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy is interested in the Maple Leafs' head coaching gig.
During the final stages of the 2025-26 regular-season, the Vegas Golden Knights fired former Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with John Tortorella. While you could argue that Cassidy did not deserve to get fired by Vegas, the coaching change has benefited the Golden Knights, as they are in the Stanley Cup Final.
To add insult to injury, the Golden Knights have still not given Cassidy permission to speak with other teams. Until they do, Cassidy will not be able to interview for other head coaching gigs.
While this is the case, Cassidy has now discussed being open to coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs.
While speaking with The Athletic's Jonas Siegel, Cassidy was transparent about being open to the idea of coaching the Maple Leafs.
"The 61-year-old told The Athletic this week that he would 'have interest in any opening' and was open to speaking to the Leafs, if allowed, to see if the fit was right on both sides," Siegel wrote.
Seeing Cassidy end up coaching the Maple Leafs would certainly add a new element to the Bruins' rivalry with Toronto. However, with the Maple Leafs looking to bounce back from their nightmare 2025-26 season, it would make a lot of sense if they targeted a coach with such a strong resume like Cassidy.
It will be interesting to see if Cassidy's interest in the Maple Leafs' head coaching gig leads to him being their next bench boss. However, that will only be a possibility if the Golden Knights give him permission to speak with other teams.