Multiple NHL teams are interested in the services of former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy. While the Golden Knights have withheld permission to contact Cassidy from the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, his status with the Toronto Maple Leafs is unclear.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are searching for their next head coach after Craig Berube's dismissal on May 13.
Former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy remains to be seen as the No. 1 coaching candidate available. To the point where the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings have sought permission to speak to Cassidy.
However, the Golden Knights have withheld permission for those two teams to contact him. Part of that could be related to those teams being division rivals to Vegas.
As for the Maple Leafs, a recent report from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman seems to imply that Vegas, to this point, has not denied a permission request from Toronto.
"Vegas is not inclined to give permission to Edmonton or LA. We will see about Toronto," Friedman reported on X.
Even though the Golden Knights fired Cassidy in March, he still has one more year on his contract with the organization. So, even if he's been dismissed, Vegas still have the contractual rights.
Cassidy stood behind Vegas' bench for just shy of four regular seasons and coached the team through three post-seasons. He won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in his first year coaching them in 2022-23.
He also helped the Knights to two Pacific Division titles. This past campaign would've marked a third occasion, but John Tortorella replaced Cassidy with eight games left in the year, finishing the regular season for Vegas.
When Maple Leafs GM John Chayka faced the media following his decision to fire Berube, he revealed that the organization's search for a new head coach will be vast. Some days later, reports suggested that Toronto would be looking for a "fresh" candidate rather than a veteran bench boss in the coaching carousel.
Friedman even went as far as to say that it would be "extremely unlikely" for the Maple Leafs to decide on hiring Cassidy as the 42nd coach in franchise history.
Regardless of the probability of a Maple Leafs and Cassidy marriage, the Golden Knights have not denied any requests from Toronto's brass.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.