In case you didn't hear yesterday's earth-shattering news (okay, it wasn't as big as Bruce Cassidy being fired, but still), Patrick Roy was let go by the New York Islanders. The Islanders were sliding out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, which made sense for them to bring in... Pete DeBoer?
Get ready to learn Eastern Conference Final, buddy. You know what's coming next in Long Island. That's right, you're getting the shoot-and-pray experience since this isn't a "rest of season" hire. Make sure that Ilya Sorokin is protected from being stabbed in the back.
But in all seriousness, there's some speculation that Cassidy himself isn't far behind. However, Darren Dreger already has one potential team crossed off the list for the Stanley Cup winner as he spoke on the Barn Burner.
" If you're Bruce Cassidy, chances are you're gonna have multiple options, I doubt very much that the Maple Leafs are going to be top of list for Cassidy."Darren Dreger
I mean, when Mitch Marner left town and got away from the crazy media, it made more than enough sense. Imagine what Cassidy would go through if Toronto weren't faring well in the Stanley Cup playoffs. It would be an absolute firestorm that even he couldn't handle.
Bruce Cassidy would be wise to avoid the Toronto Maple Leafs at all costs
Let's be honest for a second. There are plenty of reasonable places to be a head coach. One shining example happens to be the Edmonton Oilers, where Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl reside. Imagine what the former Stanley Cup winner could do with both superstars in tow.
Another example would be the San Jose Sharks, who have Macklin Celebrini and a wave of young stars waiting in the wings. If the position ever opened up, he would unleash one of the league's best players, turning San Jose into a Stanley Cup contenders.
The common theme behind both teams is that they would be Stanley Cup contenders if Cassidy came along. Of course, this is contingent on the job opening up. Still, it beats coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs, which has been extremely dysfunctional for a while.
Just look at what happened to Brad Treliving as the general manager. He was canned, with other casualties including Sheldon Keefe and Kyle Dubas. Would the former Golden Knights head coach want to deal with that?
Cassidy has other options waiting in the wings
As mentioned, there are attractive options that make more sense for Cassidy as a head coach. When your organization hasn't won a Stanley Cup since 1967 and has a hawkish media, it makes it hard to justify bringing in someone like him to fix the problem.
The problems also persist beyond the media. The Maple Leafs front office hasn't exactly done a terrific job of building a terrific culture. That has led to infamous chokes and first-round exits galore, leaving the team searching for answers.
That's why the former Stanley Cup winner needs to look elsewhere. Plenty of great opportunities lie for him and don't carry the dysfunction that Toronto does. It'll have him saving on his Werther's Butterscotch, too. Can't use all those up quickly.