Bruce Cassidy believes that Nicolas Roy can reach another level with Maple Leafs

Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy feels that newly acquired Toronto Maple Leafs centre Nicolas Roy has another level he can reach with his new team.

He appeared on Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on Tuesday, where he spoke about what the Leafs are getting in the 28-year-old forward that was the return piece in the Mitch Marner sign-and-trade.

“ First of all, he is a great guy, great team guy. Solid 200-foot player,” he said. “ On our team, he was predominantly a fourth-line centre because we always had guys ahead of him. But I know that he’s capable of more. Even now we have [William] Karlsson, [Jack] Eichel, and [Tomas] Hertl, so it’s tough to move up.”

Cassidy went on to mention that while they were able to slot Roy on the wing if needed, they always felt that he was at his best when playing down the middle because they liked how effective he was in the faceoff circles. It’s why Roy became a key member of Vegas’ penalty kill as well as a net front presence on the second power-play unit. His versatility and ability to adapt his game to whoever his linemates were, whether they were more offensively or defensively minded, is what made Roy an integral part of the Golden Knights’ 2023 Stanley Cup run.

“ When we had a few guys hurt, he moved up, played with [Jonathan Marchessault] and [Ivan] Barbashev for a stretch, not this past season but the year before. He did a real good job, put up numbers,” Cassidy said. “ But at the end of the day, when we were Cup Champions, he was, to me, a dominant fourth-line centre that played with [Will] Carrier and [Keegan] Kolesar and just did a great job of playing to our identity every time he went over the boards. A good guy that could tilt the ice back in your favour in terms of momentum, and a guy that started every period for us.  He played late in games, so a lot of value for a guy that was listed as a so-called fourth-line centerman.”

Suffice it to say that Cassidy was appreciative of all that Roy was able to provide during his six seasons with the Golden Knights and will miss his versatility and being able to be on the ice for shutdown roles. He doesn’t know how head coach Craig Berube will plan on using him, but he knows that the Leafs are getting a good player and a good person.

As far as the player going the other way, Cassidy said he is looking forward to getting to know Marner more after having first properly met him when both were on Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“Well, we’ve added another really good player to the mix. So talent wins, and the more you can get of it, the better,” he said. “I’ve crossed paths with Mitch over the years when I was coaching the [Boston] Bruins, obviously in the playoff series. I was fortunate enough to be involved in the 4 Nations, which he was a big part of. So we’re excited to have him, I think he’s gonna add a lot to our team.”

You can watch the full interview with Cassidy down below: