Bruce Cassidy unloads on the Golden Knights over their refusal to let him leave

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David St-Jean
May 28, 2026  (12:55)

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Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Bruce Cassidy went on Spittin' Chiclets Thursday morning and said Vegas is refusing to let him interview with two teams that want him as their head coach.

His exact words: "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."

That's a former Stanley Cup winning bench boss telling the hockey world his own organization is keeping him on the shelf. By choice.

Vegas already moved on. Kelly McCrimmon hired John Tortorella on March 29, which means the Golden Knights have a coach behind the bench and another one collecting a paycheck to do nothing.

Cassidy still has term on his deal. The team holds the leverage. And they're using it.

The kicker? Vegas finished 39-26-17 and won the Pacific Division. Cassidy didn't get fired for losing. He got pushed out, then locked in a closet.

Cassidy didn't name the franchises. He didn't have to. The vacancies around the league this offseason aren't a mystery, and a head coach with his resume doesn't get cold-called by rebuilds looking for a babysitter.

Here is the clip in full. Watch his face when he talks about wanting to work. There's no spin, no agent-speak, just a guy who feels stuck.

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The Vegas position is hard to defend publicly. You hired a new coach. You don't need the old one. Why hold the leash?

The answer is usually compensation. Teams sometimes demand a draft pick or a player before letting a contracted coach interview. That's the going rate, and it's a bad look every time.

For Cassidy, the timing matters. The longer Vegas stalls, the more those interested teams move on to other names. Coaching carousels don't pause for paperwork.

McCrimmon hasn't spoken publicly on this. He may not want to. Once a fired coach goes on a podcast naming and shaming, the front office is usually the one left explaining.

There's a season starting in October. Cassidy wants to be standing on an NHL bench when it does. Right now, the only thing standing between him and that bench is the team that already replaced him.

Previously

Doctor reveals nightmare scenario for Evan Bouchard after injury

Disaster for the Oilers as Evan Bouchard goes down with major injury at Worlds

Pierre LeBrun's latest Matthews and McDavid report changes everything

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2 HOURS AGO   |   141 ANSWERS Bruce Cassidy unloads on the Golden Knights over their refusal to let him leave Should Vegas let Bruce Cassidy interview for other head coaching jobs?

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