The Toronto Maple Leafs need a new head coach after firing Craig Berube earlier this week and now one of the major names some connected to the team, is no longer seen as a likely candidate.
Bruce Cassidy was fired by the Vegas Golden Knights right before the playoffs this past season, as the team wanted something that would give them a jolt heading into the postseason -- and maybe they made the right call since they are now in the Western Conference Final.
His name has been connected to Toronto as part of the coaching search but it might just not be a fit for general manager John Chayka, according to a recent report.
Bruce Cassidy 'extremely unlikely' to be hired by Leafs
On Friday's episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Elliotte Friedman speculated that Bruce Cassidy is not going to be the guy for the Leafs.
"I do think they'll reach out to talk to Cassidy, but I would say it's extremely unlikel he's going to end up being the guy in Toronto," Friedman said.
So, why is that? Cassidy is the most established head coach that is out there on the market and if the Leafs want to turn this thing around and make the playoffs as soon as next season, he could probably do it. Well Friedman explained that it's more of an organizational philosophy and that they don't want to go just with another hot candidate because he's a name.
"I do think they're prepared to go fresh -- someone new, someone different," he said. "I think Malhotra is a very legitimate candidate. i think Woodcroft is potentially a candidate. I do think, you know, if David Carle wanted to talk to them, I think he would be a candidate. And I think there's going to be others.
"I don't think this team is afraid. The conventional wisdom in Toronto is you don't bring a new person into there. ... I don't think they believe that. I think they are willing to take chances if they find the right guy. The word I heard on Thursday was 'build'. Sundin and Chayka are supposed to build a new era. Can they find a coach who's going to build that with them?"
That makes a whole lot of sense put like that.
With this new regime, they don't want to fall into the same habits that the Brad Treliving-led Leafs just did. Craig Berube was seen as this hard-nosed coach that can maybe get the best out of some players, while also maybe having a short lifespan as his tactics and habits begin to annoy the players and team a bit. Bruce Cassidy can be seen as that same sort of coach, and he's got his Cup too.
And with names thrown out there like Manny Malhotra and David Carle, it's hard to not get excited about this team moving forward.
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