Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon stepped up to the mic before the Western Conference Final with two big issues to address. One of them was the ongoing Bruce Cassidy situation, which has stirred up plenty of noise across the league.

Cassidy was fired by Vegas in March with eight games left in the regular season. However, he is still under contract for another year, which means Vegas controls his rights.  

Several teams have already asked Vegas for permission to speak with the former Jack Adams winner. Toronto, Edmonton, Los Angeles and Vancouver are all hunting for new head coaches.

But McCrimmon is in no rush to sort it out. "We've been consistent that our focus currently is on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the teams have respected that," he said.

He also confirmed Cassidy is on the same page. "I've spoken with Bruce, he understands this as well," McCrimmon added.

The NHL Coaches' Association does not see it that way. They released a statement on Tuesday calling Vegas's stance "unprecedented" at the head coaching level.

"Coaches who remain under contract, but are no longer working for their club, should not be prevented from pursuing other employment opportunities," the statement read.

The Cassidy situation was not the only fire McCrimmon had to put out. He also had to address a separate controversy involving his current head coach.

Vegas Owns Up to Postgame Media Blackout

After eliminating Anaheim in Game 6, Vegas head coach John Tortorella kept the locker room closed and refused to speak to the media. The fallout was swift and costly.

The NHL fined Tortorella $100,000 and stripped Vegas of a second-round draft pick. The team appealed on Tuesday morning but lost.

McCrimmon did not try to dodge it. "We were wrong," he said in a prepared statement at the start of the presser.

He admitted Vegas missed a chance to celebrate with its fans. "I've always felt in a playoff series, when you win a series, you galvanize the bond with your fan base," he said.

McCrimmon took responsibility right alongside his coach. "That's on John for failing to do that. That's on me as general manager of the hockey club," he said.

He made it clear the comms team had nothing to do with it. With the league's ruling final, McCrimmon promised it would not happen again and shut the door on any further questions.

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Written by

Sahil Prashar

Edited by

Sahil Prashar