Kelly McCrimmon looks like a genius with his division rivals making head coaching moves

People have given the Vegas Golden Knights a ton of flak for how they've handled the Bruce Cassidy situation. People were outraged (because obviously they are) and wanted the NHL to do something. Bill Daly and company refused and it seems that everything is coming up Golden Knights in the Cassidy department.

First came the bombshell from Edmonton that the Oilers were looking at bringing Mike Babcock along to coach the team, per Darren Dreger. Yes, that Mike Babcock, the coach who was so reviled by his players for invading their privacy and bullying.

I don't think that Bruce Cassidy or John Tortorella have ever stooped to bullying the Golden Knights players while coaching them. Maybe Cassidy, considering the players weren't his biggest fans. Still, it makes you wonder what Stan Bowman is doing up in Edmonton.

But that wasn't the only head coaching bombshell dropped in the Pacific Division. Peter Laviolette was signed to a three-year deal by the Los Angeles Kings to coach them, per Pierre LeBrun. The former New York Rangers head coach is going coast-to-coast for his seventh team to coach.

The Pacific Division is about to get 10 times more interesting and it might help the Vegas Golden Knights further.

Kelly McCrimmon and the Vegas Golden Knights playing the long game with Bruce Cassidy works out in their favor

Yes, this might seem dirty to say. This might've needed some luck to swing in favor of Vegas to make this happen. However, Kelly McCrimmon and company look like absolute geniuses for focusing on their Stanley Cup run.

Let's be honest for a second. If the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings were in this situation with Cassidy, that would be something that they'd do in that situation. As mentioned in prior posts, you don't want your division rivals to get one up on you.

Vegas is playing the long game with Cassidy by using the Stanley Cup run, which works completely in their favor. Now, your division rivals have moved on and are looking at other head coaching candidates. Hate the Golden Knights all you want. But they played their cards perfectly here, leaving their critics stunned again.

You can't hate the Golden Knights for waiting out the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings

Could Mike Babcock work in Edmonton if he's hired by the Oilers? Who knows? Golden Knights fans saw what happened with John Tortorella and have been in absolute awe. Of course, Tortorella has his limits in being a complete arse. But you still see what I mean.

Could Peter Laviolette work in Los Angeles? Who knows? He led the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006 and led the Philadelphia Flyers and the Nashville Predators to Stanley Cup Finals during his tenure, making him the fourth NHL coach to lead three different teams to the Stanley Cup Final.

But McCrimmon and the Golden Knights pulled off another incredible move throughout the head coaching search. Sure, some people have their jimmies rustled. But there's a reason why the general manager and Vegas are considered the best in the business.

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