The Vegas Golden Knights are keen on ensuring that Bruce Cassidy doesn't go to the Pacific Division. After relieving him of his duties in March, they withheld permission from the Edmonton Oilers to interview him. However, they aren't the only Pacific Division team to have its access denied.
According to Andy Strickland, the Los Angeles Kings have also been denied permission to interview the former Golden Knights head coach. In fact, there hasn't been a single NHL team that has been granted permission to interview Cassidy, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.
This recent tidbit of news has sparked outrage from NHL fans, specifically within the rivalry realm. Oilers fans—and now Kings fans—are crying foul over the Golden Knights keeping their former Stanley Cup champion from interviewing with any team. They want a chance to get one of the best head coaches on the market, yet they're being restricted from doing so because of Vegas.
You can't blame the Golden Knights from not wanting Bruce Cassidy to go to a Pacific Division rival
The Vegas Golden Knights are in the business of winning. Their main objective is ensuring that teams like the Oilers and the Kings don't get one up on them. Heck, you can say the same about upcoming teams such as the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks.
Therefore, it makes perfect sense that the Golden Knights would restrict access to their Pacific Division rivals. You don't want teams like the Oilers and the Kings to pass you. That means ensuring that he goes to a team like, say, the Toronto Maple Leafs. That way, he's out of sight and out of mind.
Besides, the likelihood of the Golden Knights and a Cassidy-led Maple Leafs team is minuscule. Both teams would have to go through three rounds to meet in the Stanley Cup Final, you know. Compare that to potentially meeting the Kings in the first or second round, where Cassidy could get his revenge on you. Is that a fate you'd want to suffer, dear reader?
Absolutely not, which is why it makes sense for the Golden Knights to do this. Imagine if your team relieved a premier head coach of his duties and your division rivalsvwere circling the waters around him. That would be absolute doo-doo if they picked him up.
So, put yourself in the Golden Knights' shoes and see how they're operating their business. It's further proof that the franchise is one of the most successful sports teams around. Yes, it might seem dirty like Ric Flair during his heel days. But you must admit that you'd do the same thing.
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