One team is the obvious winner of Vegas's imminent decision on Bruce Cassidy

Bruce Cassidy's next job may not be entirely his own call. Vegas could decide where he can't go.

That's the read from Nick Kypreos, who said Vegas has an issue with letting Cassidy join a direct competitor like Los Angeles or Edmonton.

The exception? Toronto. Per Kypreos, Vegas would be okay with the Leafs taking him.

The logic is pure self-preservation. You don't hand a sharp coach to a team you have to beat in your own conference. You might clear him to go east.

And that one distinction reshapes two coaching searches at once.

Kypreos laid it out plainly, and the destination wrinkle is the part that changes the board.

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A Vegas block leaves Edmonton's search in a bind

Start with Edmonton, because this stings there. The Oilers had been reported, by David Pagnotta and others, to be pursuing Cassidy hard on a long-term deal.

If Vegas won't clear him to a Pacific rival, that pursuit may be dead before it starts. Two Western contenders don't do each other favors.

That leaves Stan Bowman in a real bind. Edmonton's other coaching path runs through Mike Babcock, and that one is tangled in an NHLPA-requested investigation with the hire on hold.

So one option may be blocked and the other is frozen. With camp on the horizon, that's a search closer to square one than the finish line.

Toronto sits in the opposite spot. The Leafs play in the East, not a direct threat to Vegas, which is exactly why Kypreos says they'd be cleared to hire him.

And Toronto has the vacancy to fill, with Dallas Eakins and others reported as finalists. Cassidy entering that picture would be a genuine twist.

Here's my read: Vegas protecting itself from arming a rival is smart and completely normal. Teams guard coaching talent the same way they guard players.

The fallout is what's interesting. Edmonton may have to pivot yet again, while Toronto suddenly has a possible path to a proven, accomplished coach.

Does Cassidy end up a Leaf? Does Edmonton scramble for a plan C? The carousel just got more tangled, and nobody's stopped it yet.

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