The Toronto Maple Leafs have finally ripped off the band-aid. The club jettisoned Craig Berube on Wednesday, leading to the organization’s next major off-ice move.
After filling a major front-office spot with John Chayka, the Leafs will not pivot to filling another major organizational spot behind the bench. But Bruce Cassidy, who’s hot in Maple Leafs rumors, might not be the best option.
Cassidy was a shocking dismissal this season after Vegas let him go late in the season. Since then, Cassidy’s name has popped up in just about every coaching vacancy.
And Toronto is no exception.
While Cassidy may be a solid option, his particular coaching style might not be what the Maple Leafs are looking for at this point.
The hiring of Chayka should be a major indication of what the organization is looking for. The club went off the beaten path by hiring Chayka instead of other, more established, mainstream candidates out there.
That’s not a bad thing in and of itself. But it’s a telling reality of the direction the Maple Leafs are heading. Cassidy is more of an old-school type of coach. He’s similar to Berube in many respects, but is regarded as a more skilled, all-around tactician.
The biggest criticism surrounding Cassidy is that his playing style and overall personality tend to grind players down. His relationships tend to sour over time, eventually forcing a change. That was the purported situation in Boston, and the main reason why the Golden Knights made the change when they did.
Maple Leafs Need to Get Younger Behind the Bench
When the Maple Leafs hired Sheldon Keefe during the 2019-20 season, he was the sort of younger coach who used his laissez-faire playing style to maximize his team’s talent. That was the heyday of the Core Four, and it was a shame they just couldn’t pull it together then.
Keefe was a departure from the very old-school approach of Mike Babcock. Keefe’s possession-based style allowed Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander to thrive. Had they had a lights-out goalie like, say, Ilya Sorokin, and who knows how far the Maple Leafs would have gotten in the postseason.
That’s the sort of situation the Maple Leafs need to rekindle at this point. The goal would be to find a younger, first-year coach who can lead the team out of the doldrums it’s in. As for who that younger coach would be, well, that’s another story.
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Vegas Not Letting Cassidy Go Easily
News has already hit the airwaves about the Edmonton Oilers requesting permission to speak to Cassidy. It’s worth noting that the veteran coach remains under contract with the Golden Knights for one more season. And the Golden Knights effectively denied the request.
As such, teams wanting to speak to him have to request permission. It may sound silly as he’s no longer coaching the Golden Knights. But those are the rules when a person is still on one team’s books.
That said, the Maple Leafs would have to request permission to speak with Cassidy. There is no official confirmation that this is the case at this point. Nevertheless, the Leafs would be remiss if they didn’t do their due diligence.
That’s why it’s safe to say the Golden Knights aren’t letting Cassidy go very easily. Perhaps Vegas might be more amenable to granting permission to the Leafs than the Oilers. But the fact is that the Leafs might be better off pursuing other options than making a hard push for Cassidy.
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