Maple Leafs Got Green Light to Interview Cassidy—Next Move Was Shocking

The Vegas Golden Knights have been picky about which teams they let Bruce Cassidy speak with about a potential coaching job. The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings were not among them. However, it was learned on Wednesday that GM Kelly McCrimmon granted access to one team: the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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According to insiders like Nick Kypreos and Pierre LeBrun, Toronto was the team that Vegas said could interview their former head coach. Interestingly, the Maple Leafs chose not to speak to Cassidy after getting permission. As for why, that’s not entirely clear.

LeBrun wrote in a recent article for The Athletic:

“Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon revealed to local media on Wednesday that the Golden Knights gave permission to Cassidy to speak with one team midway through the playoffs. I think that team was Toronto, but I know for a fact that the Maple Leafs and Cassidy never did speak, so they must have chosen not to have the conversation for some reason.”

It’s wild when you think about it.

The Maple Leafs were the only team Cassidy was allowed to talk to. They asked to speak with him while interviewing over 20 different candidates. They were the only team that got the green light. What did they do? They decided not to go through with the interview and instead hired Jim Hiller.

Hiring Hiller over Cassidy is not the issue. Why not speak to the most notable coach available if you’re permitted to? GM John Chayka told the media the Leafs’ search was exhaustive. Obviously, only up to a point. A lot could have been learned by having that interview, even if Cassidy was ultimately not chosen.

And, as for Cassidy himself? Now, unless Vegas changes its mind about granting more interviews, he is out of options.

It’s hard to know who to blame here if Cassidy winds up out of work. Is this on him? He had a unique contract in which he didn’t ensure he had an out. He also left Vegas under circumstances in which the Maple Leafs (and now seemingly the Oilers) pivoted away from making him their priority. However, Vegas holding off on interviews meant teams had to look elsewhere to find their coaches. That included the Los Angeles Kings, Maple Leafs, and now the Oilers.

Had Vegas not been ruthless about things, Cassidy might already be in one of these markets.

Next: Why Jim Hiller Actually Makes Sense for the Maple Leafs