The Vegas Golden Knights confirmed Wednesday that only the Toronto Maple Leafs received permission to speak with fired head coach Bruce Cassidy. Toronto moved quickly to hire Jim Hiller earlier Wednesday, while Cassidy remains under contract through June 30, 2
The phone calls were supposed to move faster than the calendar. Instead, for Bruce Cassidy, every attempt to talk about a return behind an NHL bench has been trapped behind a single door: Vegas permission.
On Wednesday, the Vegas Golden Knights confirmed that only one team had been granted approval to speak with Cassidy. That team was the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto announced earlier Wednesday that it had hired Jim Hiller for the job, bringing a new direction to a franchise that now won’t have to compete for a coach Vegas would allow to be discussed.
Cassidy’s situation has been in limbo since he was fired by the Golden Knights in late March and replaced by John Tortorella. Even with that change on the bench, Cassidy hasn’t been free to fully pivot. He remains under contract with Vegas until June 30. 2027. and the Golden Knights had to formally clear any team hoping to speak with him.
That detail is at the center of why this confirmation matters. It’s also why other reported interests in Cassidy have appeared stuck. It was widely reported in May that the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings had interest in hiring him but had not received permission to speak. The Kings ultimately hired Peter Laviolette. while the Oilers are reportedly targeting Mike Babcock for their opening. pending an investigation into his brief time as head coach in Columbus.
Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon addressed the situation directly Wednesday. “We had a situation where we did grant Bruce permission to speak to another team,” he said. “That didn’t come to fruition, but we’ll deal with that on a case-by-case basis.”
Cassidy, for his part, has described the delay as frustrating. In an interview with Spittin’ Chiclets on May 28, he called the situation “upsetting” and reiterated his readiness to work again.
“I want to go to work. I’m a hockey coach,” Cassidy said.
He also explained the contractual reality behind the silence. “Once you’re fired, your contract’s basically terminated, but the one thing people don’t realize is … you have no-compete clauses, so I can’t resign today and go work for someone tomorrow,” Cassidy said. “I can’t work until Vegas gives me permission until this contract’s up, which is at the end of next season. So if I resign, all I do is not get paid.”.
The Maple Leafs’ side didn’t offer much beyond the process they followed. When Maple Leafs GM John Chayka was asked whether he spoke to Cassidy before hiring Hiller, he wouldn’t reveal who else was in the mix.
“We took our time. We cast a very wide net. We ended up spending time with over 25 coaches. when it was all said and done. ” Chayka told reporters on Wednesday during Hiller’s introductory press conference. “When we got through that process. it just created a lot of conviction that he was the right person at the right time with the right group. hopefully.”.
Vegas’s roster of leadership changes has already been moving in parallel. The Golden Knights announced this week that Tortorella would not be returning after guiding the team to the Stanley Cup Final. As a result, AHL head coach Ryan Craig was promoted to the NHL job on Wednesday.
In the middle of all that, the Cassidy permission confirmation gave the clearest signal yet about what Vegas is willing to allow—and what it isn’t—when a coach is still tied to the organization through June 30, 2027.
Bruce Cassidy Vegas Golden Knights Toronto Maple Leafs Jim Hiller John Tortorella Kelly McCrimmon John Chayka NHL coaching rumors Peter Laviolette Mike Babcock