Bruce Cassidy has been stuck in an unexpected limbo that doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon.
The Golden Knights coach was unexpectedly fired in March with eight games remaining in Vegas’s regular season. Now out of a job, he has been a target for several franchises with head-skipper vacancies. But Vegas has denied permission for Cassidy—who won the Stanley Cup with the six-year-old team in 2023—to interview.
Technically, the Golden Knights are in bounds of their contractual rights in denying the requests. But after a firing, interview permission is largely a formality in the NHL. The Golden Knights’ hold out is so unusual that on Tuesday, the NHL Coaches’ Association issued a statement about the situation in which they wrote that contracted coaches no longer working for their clubs “should not be prevented from pursuing other employment opportunities.”
Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon reiterated on Tuesday that the team’s “focus currently is on the Stanley Cup playoffs and the teams have respected that.” McCrimmon added he’d spoken with Cassidy, who “understands.”
Among the clubs reportedly interested in speaking with Cassidy are Western Conference division rivals Edmonton, Vancouver, and Los Angeles. The Golden Knights’ move comes in stark contrast to the Maple Leafs, who on Monday granted permission for the Oilers to speak to former coach Craig Berube.
