The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially made the unsurprising move to fire head coach Craig Berube. The coach had been on thin ice for months as the club struggled throughout the 2025-26 season. On-ice results, however, were not the only issue regarding Berube. He also made headlines throughout the campaign by calling out his players earlier in the year.
While the writing was on the wall, the Maple Leafs opted to move on from Berube only after they had a new general manager in place. The team previously brought in John Chayka as GM and Mats Sundin as senior advisor on May 3. Now that Toronto has a coaching vacancy, the new execs will have to make a major decision soon. Nevertheless, the process may take longer than expected.
Bleacher Report’s Lyle Richardson has named Bruce Cassidy as the Maple Leafs best possible coaching option. Cassidy was previously let go by the Las Vegas Golden Knights after several successful seasons at the helm. In fact, the Knights qualified for the playoffs every year that Cassidy was in charge and even hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2023.
Toronto’s links to Cassidy are hardly surprising. After all, the veteran leader is widely regarded as the top NHL coaching candidate available. His record speaks for itself. Not only has he collected a title in Vegas, but he also found success in Boston. Cassidy led the Bruins to four 100-point seasons and an Eastern Conference championship.
Toronto Maple Leafs May Have to be Patient in Bruce Cassidy Sweepstakes
GettyThe Toronto Maple Leafs would likely love to target Bruce Cassidy.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, however, will have plenty of competition for Cassidy. Although he was fired by Vegas, the Golden Knights still owe the coach $4.5 million for one more year. Vegas recently blocked the Edmonton Oilers from speaking with Cassidy in an attempt to get out of paying this money. The Golden Knights may ultimately want compensation from a club interested in Cassidy.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed in his latest 32 Thoughts podcast that the Los Angeles Kings have also reached out to Vegas regarding Cassidy. While the Golden Knights are playing hardball, Friedman suggested that both Edmonton and L.A. were not exactly totally rebuffed in their approach to Cassidy. Instead, the insider claims that Vegas is merely delaying the situation.
Toronto is Regarded as One of the Top NHL Coaching Jobs
Toronto will have to be aggressive in its potential pursuit of the Ontario native. On paper, the Oilers are likely a more attractive team compared to the Maple Leafs at the moment. Cassidy may very well prefer to join a club that just recently made back-to-back Stanley Cup finals appearances. Edmonton, however, awkwardly still has a head coach in place. Despite the links to Cassidy, Kris Knoblauch, at least for now, is still in charge.
Nevertheless, Toronto is still a very attractive job for NHL coaches. Key players, such as Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Matthew Knies, are currently in place. The Maple Leafs also recently grabbed the top pick in the 2026 NHL draft. Toronto is expected to choose between highly rated forwards Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg in the selection.
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