In the immediate purview, the Vegas Golden Knights have some rather big fish to fry.
On Wednesday night, they’re visiting Denver to take on the juggernaut, Cale Makar-less Colorado Avalanche, in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. But from a long-term perspective, they seem pretty busy trying to prevent new job opportunities for their ex-head coach. Whoa, look at that! We have another reason to hate the Golden Knights!
You see, Bruce Cassidy, who brought expansion Vegas its first Stanley Cup in 2023, was fired this past late March. With just eight games left in the regular season. Woof. And to this point, per ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, prospective teams, like say the rival Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, haven’t been allowed to talk to Cassidy about taking their respective lead jobs. Even with Vegas in the middle of a deep playoff run.
Huh? I get that Cassidy is still technically under contract, so Vegas can do whatever it wants with him, but this certainly is not the standard operating procedure for fired coaches. The NHL Coaches’ Association (NHCA) even acknowledged as much in a statement on Tuesday, calling it “unprecedented” that several teams had been denied permission to talk to Cassidy for this long. More from ESPN’s Emily Kaplan:
Multiple teams are waiting to interview Bruce Cassidy but have not yet received permission from the Vegas Golden Knights as of Tuesday, sources told ESPN.
Cassidy — a Stanley Cup winner in Vegas and Jack Adams Award winner in Boston — was surprisingly fired with eight games remaining in the regular season despite the Golden Knights sitting in playoff position. He had one year remaining on his contract and was one of the NHL’s highest-paid coaches.
The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings are among the teams interested in speaking with Cassidy, sources told ESPN. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks also have recent vacancies.
Hmm. The math isn’t mathing here. It’s been nearly two months since the Knights fired Cassidy. They only owe him one more year of pay. It strikes me as a bit odd that he hasn’t even been allowed to have a conversation with someone. You usually have to move at this sort of glacial pace on purpose.
How have the Golden Knights addressed this Cassidy situation? Here’s Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon, with an explanation that doesn’t add up:
Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon on Bruce Cassidy🎙️
“Teams have asked for permission to speak with Bruce. We’ve been consistent that our focus currently is on the Stanley Cup playoffs and the teams have respected that.”
“I’ve spoken with Bruce. He understands this as well.” pic.twitter.com/osbJS8OQoF
— DNVR Avalanche (@DNVR_Avalanche) May 20, 2026
Your focus is on the playoffs? Over some routine paperwork that could probably be done by a generic front office person? Really? I don’t buy that. And yes, Cassidy understands the Knights holding him back from trying to get a new gig so much that he went through the NHCA to issue a formal statement about what’s been happening behind the scenes in Vegas.
That sounds like a very happy guy who finds no fault in what his former employer is doing!
What really might be happening with Bruce Cassidy and the Golden Knights
Here’s what is likely the real skinny on this Cassidy situation in Las Vegas. NHL teams looking for new coaches prefer getting their new people in place before the end of the playoffs. That’s because they like having their organizational brain structure and plans set for the offseason. Not even letting Cassidy talk to teams who currently have vacancies makes it seem like the Golden Knights are using the playoffs as an excuse to try and wait out squads with coach openings, which could freeze Cassidy out of a job for all of next season, too.
Not wanting Cassidy to jump to a team like the rival Oilers is fair game on its face value merits. Who wants to face a guy who hates you several times a year and also be slotted into automatic potential playoff matchups with him and his new squad? That would suck! A lot. Deliberately keeping him from a new job opportunity after firing him two months ago is plain old mean, the sort of calculated “non-compete” bush league conduct that other coaches and people around the NHL will take notice of. Conduct that I hope the NHL will crack down on the Golden Knights for if Cassidy leaves this spring without a head coaching gig.
If the Knights didn’t want a Cup-winning coach with Cassidy’s track record to go somewhere that could hurt them, they shouldn’t have fired him in the first place. Playing this absurd cat-and-mouse game with him out in the open now makes them look silly and so unprofessional.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Bruce Cassidy: Why Golden Knights are likely denying job interviews