Bruce Cassidy reportedly willing to coach Bruins’ Original Six rival

It remains to be seen if the Vegas Golden Knights will give Bruce Cassidy permission to interview for other head coaching jobs this offseason.

But if it were Vegas – which it already has Cassidy was reportedly blocked from interviewing with both the Kings and Oilers-If he has a change of heart, the former Bruins coach may be willing to return to the Atlantic Division.

talking to The athlete Jonas Siegel On Wednesday, Cassidy said he is open to several coaching opportunities — including an open spot with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“The 61-year-old said The athlete this week that he “would be interested in any opening” and was open to talking to the Leafs, if allowed to, to see if the fit is right on both sides. Siegel wrote.

While the Golden Knights were not willing to let Cassidy interview with two teams in their Pacific Division in Los Angeles and Edmonton, that feeling could change if a team from the Eastern Conference called.

Cassidy, 61, was surprisingly fired by the Golden Knights with just eight games remaining in the regular season — with Vegas replacing him with John Tortorella en route to the Stanley Cup Final.

Since then, the Golden Knights haven’t been willing to let Cassidy interview with other teams — even after they handed him a pink slip months ago.

The Golden Knights have the potential to limit Cassidy’s coaching opportunities for the upcoming 2026-27 season, given that Cassidy is still technically under contract for next year.

talking to The athlete Michael Russo said last week that he would be willing to give up the $5 million the Golden Knights are willing to pay him in 2026-27 if it meant he would get a chance to resume coaching next year.

“I get paid to sit at home.” Cassidy told Russo. “Well, I’d rather go to work, to be honest. I’d do it. I’d rather earn it. So that’s my take on it. I’d give up (the salary) tomorrow and bet on myself if that would free me up for the interview, but it doesn’t. That’s the problem.”

“I’ll quit and give up the money. But that doesn’t allow me to go to work. I’m still waiting for Vegas to let me go. They’re getting off the hook for salary. I’m not a fool. I’m not going to do it. But if it were that easy, I would have done it a month ago, to be honest, and bet on myself, because I know there are some opportunities out there – teams that have asked for it.”

While the Golden Knights have yet to change their stance on Cassidy’s coaching opportunities, the Kings have already named Peter Laviolette as their next bench boss, while the Oilers have expressed interest in hiring Mike Babcock.

Cassidy’s track record speaks for itself as a head coach who has had success at multiple stops, including the Bruins and Golden Knights.

During Cassidy’s six seasons as head coach of the Bruins, Boston went 245-108-46, made the playoffs in all six seasons, and advanced all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2019.

The Bruins fired Cassidy at the end of the 2021-22 season after Boston fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Cassidy was hired by the Golden Knights just over a week after he parted ways with the Bruins. He led Vegas to the Stanley Cup title in his first year at the helm.

In his four seasons with the Golden Knights, Cassidy compiled a record of 178-99-43.

Cassidy’s return to the Atlantic could cause some headaches for the Bruins, though, as the Maple Leafs may be staring at a long-term rebuild or retooling after a disastrous 32-26-14 record in 2025-26.

Boston should hold out hope for some tough seasons in Toronto, as the Bruins still hold Toronto’s future first-round pick — likely in 2028 — after the Leafs retained their first-round pick this year by winning the NHL draft lottery.

Connor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.