RALEIGH, N.C. — Consider the NHL on the Vegas Golden Knights’ side when it comes to the Bruce Cassidy saga.
Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said that the Knights are contractually obligated to withhold permission from teams hoping to interview Cassidy for their vacant coaching positions.
“Obviously, we don’t find it unreasonable because we’re allowing it to happen,” Daly said prior to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center.
The Knights have not allowed teams to interview their former Stanley Cup-winning coach after firing him on March 29 with eight games remaining in the regular season.
They replaced him with John Tortorella and have gone 19-4-1 since, and are playing for their second championship in four years against the Carolina Hurricanes.
General manager Kelly McCrimmon said prior to the Western Conference Final that the focus was on the Knights’ playoff run. He said this has been relayed to teams and Cassidy, as well.
Cassidy was fired with one year remaining on his contract. Teams must be granted permission from the previous club if they want to interview a coach with term left on his deal.
Daly doubled down on that assertion, adding the league has also spoken to Cassidy on the matter.
“We’ve talked to all parties involved in this, including Bruce,” Daly said. “He knows what our position on the subject is, and he might not be happy about it, but he was accepting of it.”
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman added by saying, “When you sign, or insist on, a long-term contract, there are certain league policies and consequences on that.”
Daly said there are contracts in the NHL that would not allow for this situation to happen.
“This was not one of them,” he said.
Cassidy said on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast Thursday that “it’s upsetting” that he hasn’t been able to get on with the next chapter of his coaching career.
“We keep asking if we can get on with my coaching career, but right now it’s a little bit in limbo,” Cassidy said. “Vegas is in a playoff series, I understood that, but I still think they can take some time and sort through it. Hopefully they do. If they don’t, I guess I wait it out until I find a resolution.”
McCrimmon said that it’s only news because “Edmonton leaked it.” The Edmonton Oilers are one of the teams reportedly wanting permission to talk to Cassidy. The Los Angeles Kings are the other.
“I know how (Cassidy) feels. I know he wants to coach. He’s a hell of a coach, and he’s anxious to get going,” McCrimmon said on TSN on Thursday. “Coaches, by definition, aren’t real patient people, so I understand what he wants and why he wants it, and at the same time I work for the Vegas Golden Knights, so my responsibilities are first and foremost to the organization. And that’s as much as I’m going to say on it, in addition to what I said a week ago.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
