Bruce Cassidy goes public on Vegas blocking him from interviewing
Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Bruce Cassidy is done being quiet about it. The Stanley Cup-winning coach went on record this week to say that two teams had requested permission to interview him and that Vegas had refused to grant it.
He said it plainly: he wants to work, and the Golden Knights are stopping him from doing so.
"It's upsetting. There was two teams that asked it's public knowledge now, and I would like to talk to them. I want to go to work. I'm a hockey coach."
- Bruce Cassidy
- Bruce Cassidy
That part of the story has been widely covered. What has not been discussed nearly enough is why going public almost certainly will not fix anything.
Cassidy was fired by Vegas on March 29 with one year and roughly $4.5 million remaining on his contract.
Under NHL rules, teams must receive permission from his current club before speaking with him.
A public move that may not move anything
The Edmonton Oilers sought that permission first - reportedly before they even fired Kris Knoblauch - and Vegas went silent.
The Los Angeles Kings are also waiting. So are at least two other franchises. The NHL Coaches' Association released a statement calling the situation unacceptable, and the league declined to intervene.
Why Vegas has no real reason to cooperate
Here is what the coverage keeps glossing over. The Oilers and Kings are both Pacific Division rivals of the Golden Knights.
Helping either franchise land a coach who just spent four years learning Vegas's structure, systems, and personnel is genuinely against their competitive interest.
General manager Kelly McCrimmon said publicly that his focus is on the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That is technically true. It is also extraordinarily convenient.
Cassidy's public frustration is understandable. But the teams most desperate to hire him are the exact teams Vegas is most motivated to slow-walk.
His going to the media does not change that math. It may actually harden it, giving Vegas grounds to frame any eventual resolution as a reluctant concession rather than cooperation.
The NHL created a rule that lets this happen. Until the league changes it, Cassidy's best move is finding a team outside the Pacific that wants him badly enough to pressure Vegas through proper channels - not a press statement.
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