Maple Leafs, Oilers Seen as Early Fits for Bruce Cassidy

A quiet Sunday afternoon around the hockey world was quickly turned on its head yesterday, thanks to the Vegas Golden Knights firing Bruce Cassidy and replacing him with John Tortorella.

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Both sides of the coaching change were shocking, especially this late in the season for a team still poised to make the playoffs. As a result, a Stanley Cup-winning coach is now available, and while he won’t be behind a bench this postseason, it shouldn’t take long for Cassidy to land a new gig.

With that in mind, Dave Litman of NHL Trade Rumors came up with an early list of potential landing spots for the veteran bench boss, which included the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, and New Jersey Devils.

Litman wrote:

“Kris Knoblauch’s job security seems extremely shaky at the moment, as the Oilers have struggled through this season. Despite the current three-game win streak, their 83 points would be a full five points back of a Wild Card berth in the Eastern Conference.  Recent passive-aggressive comments from Connor McDavid—heaping praise on Jon Cooper on how “well-coached and organized” the Tampa Bay Lightning are—further called into question Knoblauch’s future. 

We all know what a dreadful season this has been in Toronto. Head coach Craig Berube is exasperated and seems to be running on fumes at this point. Big changes are undoubtedly in store for the Maple Leafs. Can they afford to wait this out, or should they immediately jump on Cassidy and try to beat the Oilers or any other teams to the punch? “If he’s willing, Cassidy is a no-brainer for the Leafs,” writes Jonas Siegel in The Athletic,”

The 60-year-old Cassidy has had tremendous success in his coaching career, sporting a .630 points percentage through 829 regular-season games, along with a 62-57 playoff record—which, of course, includes a Stanley Cup in 2022-23.

Bruce Cassidy Landing Spots

Toronto, Edmonton, and New Jersey certainly stand out as three logical potential fits for Cassidy. Craig Berube and Sheldon Keefe are both on the hot seat, so the Maple Leafs and Devils could very well be in the market for a new head coach in short order.

Meanwhile, the Oilers, as Litman mentioned, haven’t had a great season, although a recent three-game winning streak has quieted the noise around Kris Knoblauch for now. How Edmonton fares this postseason will ultimately decide whether they’re also going to be in search of a new coach.

Other teams could—and absolutely should—emerge as well. It was expected to be a relatively uneventful summer of movement on the coaching carousel, but nobody anticipated someone like Cassidy becoming available, so a lot of plans around the league could be changing.

Next: Vegas Coaching Change Means Never Too Late for Oilers to Make Big Move