Bruce Cassidy reportedly willing to coach Bruins’ Original Six rival

It stays to be seen if the Vegas Golden Knights will grant Bruce Cassidy permission to interview for different head teaching vacancies this offseason.

​But when Vegas — which has already reportedly blocked interviews for Cassidy to interview with both the Kings and Oilers— has a change of coronary heart, the previous Bruins head coach might be keen to return to the Atlantic Division.

Chatting with The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel on Wednesday, Cassidy mentioned that he’s open to a number of teaching alternatives — together with an open spot with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“The 61-year-old advised The Athletic this week that he would ‘have curiosity in any opening’ and was open to talking to the Leafs, if allowed, to see if the match was proper on each side,” Siegel wrote.

Whereas the Golden Knights weren’t keen to let Cassidy interview with a pair of groups in their very own Pacific Division in Los Angeles and Edmonton, that sentiment would possibly shift if a group within the Japanese Convention comes calling.

Cassidy, 61, was surprisingly fired by the Golden Knights with simply eight video games to go within the common season — with Vegas changing him with John Tortorella en path to a run to the Stanley Cup Last.

Since then, the Golden Knights haven’t been keen to let Cassidy interview with different groups — even after handing him a pink slip months in the past.

The Golden Knights do have the power to restrict Cassidy’s teaching alternatives for the upcoming 2026-27 season, provided that Cassidy remains to be technically below contract for subsequent yr.  

Chatting with The Athletic’s Michael Russo final week, Cassidy mentioned that he’d be keen to forfeit the $5 million the Golden Knights are on the hook to pay him in 2026-27 if it means he’d get the possibility to renew teaching subsequent yr.

“I’m getting paid cash to sit down at dwelling,” Cassidy told Russo. “Effectively, I’d somewhat go to work, to be sincere. I’d. I’d somewhat earn it. In order that’s my place on that. I’d give (the wage) up tomorrow and guess on myself if that freed me as much as go interview, nevertheless it doesn’t. In order that’s the issue.

“I’d stop and quit the cash. It doesn’t let me go to work, although. I’m nonetheless ready for Vegas to let me go. They only get off the hook for wage. I’m not an fool. I’m not going to do this. But when it was that straightforward, I’d’ve performed it a month in the past, to be sincere, and guess on myself, as a result of I do know there’s some openings on the market — groups which have requested.”

Whereas the Golden Knights have but to shift their standing on Cassidy’s teaching alternatives, the Kings have already employed Peter Laviolette as their subsequent bench boss, whereas the Oilers have reportedly expressed curiosity in hiring Mike Babcock.

Cassidy’s observe document speaks for itself as a head coach who has discovered success at a number of stops, together with the Bruins and Golden Knights.

Throughout Cassidy’s six seasons as head coach of the Bruins, Boston went 245-108-46, made the playoffs all six seasons, and superior all the way in which to Sport 7 of the Stanley Cup Last in 2019.

The Bruins fired Cassidy on the finish of the 2021-22 season after Boston fell to the Carolina Hurricanes within the first spherical of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Cassidy was employed by the Golden Knights slightly over every week after he and the Bruins parted methods. He led Vegas to a Stanley Cup title in his first yr on the helm.

In his 4 seasons with the Golden Knights, Cassidy sported a 178-99-43 document.​

Cassidy’s return to the Atlantic would trigger some complications for the Bruins, despite the fact that the Maple Leafs is likely to be gazing a long-term rebuild or retool after a disastrous 32-26-14 document in 2025-26.

Boston must be holding out hope for just a few tough seasons in Toronto, because the Bruins nonetheless maintain Toronto’s future first-round choose — possible in 2028 — after the Leafs retained their own first-round selection this yr by successful the NHL Draft Lottery.

 

Conor Ryan is a workers author masking the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Pink Sox for Boston.com, a job he has held since 2023.