HIGHLIGHTS
- Vegas fires Bruce Cassidy and hires John Tortorella for rest of season
- Golden Knights have lost six of last seven games despite playoff position
- Read below for full details on Vegas’ stunning late-season coaching change
The Vegas Golden Knights made one of the most stunning coaching changes in recent NHL history Sunday.
Vegas fired head coach Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with John Tortorella for the remainder of the season. The Golden Knights have just eight games left in the regular season and currently hold a playoff spot.
Cassidy led Vegas to its first Stanley Cup championship in 2023. He posted a 178-99-43 record across four seasons with the club.
“We thank Bruce Cassidy for his dedication to our hockey club and community over the past four seasons,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said in a statement. “Under Bruce’s leadership, we reached our ultimate goal in 2023 by bringing a Stanley Cup to Vegas.”
Why Vegas Made the Move
The Golden Knights are 32-26-16 with 80 points, sitting third in the Pacific Division. They’ve lost six of their last seven games and are 5-12 since the Olympic break.
Vegas holds just a four-point cushion over the Los Angeles Kings for the final Pacific Division playoff spot. The Kings are outside the playoff picture entirely.
Cassidy’s final game was a 5-4 shootout loss to Washington on Saturday. The Golden Knights blew a 4-3 lead and lost to a Capitals team backstopped by Logan Thompson, a former Vegas goalie Cassidy once coached.
“With the stretch run of the 2025-26 regular season upon us, we believe that a change is necessary for us to return to the level of play that is expected of our club,” McCrimmon said.
Enter John Tortorella
Tortorella brings 23 years of NHL coaching experience to Vegas. The 67-year-old last coached with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2024-25 before being fired with 10 games left in the season.
He recently served as an assistant coach for Team USA’s gold medal run at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Two Vegas players were on that roster: Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin.
Tortorella won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004 and is a two-time Jack Adams Award winner. His 770 career wins rank ninth all-time in NHL history.
“With John Tortorella, we bring in a Stanley Cup champion as well as one of the most experienced and respected coaches in the NHL,” McCrimmon said. “His guidance will be a great asset to our team at the pivotal point in the season we currently face.”
Tortorella’s deal with Vegas is only for the final eight games of the regular season and the 2026 playoffs. Any decision on his future beyond this season will be made after the playoffs conclude.
The Numbers Tell a Different Story
Here’s what makes this move so puzzling: Vegas has actually played well by most metrics.
Since the Olympic break, the Golden Knights rank third in five-on-five expected goals share, shot share, and shot attempt share. They’ve allowed the fewest shots against per 60 minutes and the third-fewest expected goals against.
The problem? Finishing and goaltending.
Vegas ranks dead last in shooting percentage at 6.8% over that span. They’re second-last in save percentage at 86.9%. The Golden Knights have allowed 30.6 goals above average this season, the worst mark in the league.
Adin Hill has been especially poor, surrendering 16.2 goals above average while posting a .734 high-danger save percentage.
Key offensive players are slumping too. Tomas Hertl hasn’t scored since March 4. Mark Stone has two goals since February 27. Mitch Marner and Eichel have combined for two goals in the last eight games.
Those aren’t coaching problems. That’s poor shooting luck and goaltending collapse.
Vegas Being Vegas
This is classic Golden Knights management. The franchise doesn’t care about optics or tradition when their championship window is open.
They traded Marc-Andre Fleury after a Vezina-caliber season. They fired Gerard Gallant in an airport. They operate with pure ruthlessness.
Cassidy becomes the third coach fired in the NHL this season. Rick Bowness replaced Dean Evason in Columbus on January 12. D.J. Smith took over the Kings after Jim Hiller was fired March 1.
The irony here is swapping one demanding, abrasive coach for another. Tortorella is arguably the most notorious hardass in modern NHL history. If players were tuning out Cassidy, how long until they tire of Torts?
Tortorella’s track record with talented rosters is mixed. He maximizes under-talented teams through structure and accountability. But high-end rosters? He tends to struggle getting the most out of star players.
Vegas has eight games to figure out if this gamble works. The Golden Knights’ first game under Tortorella is Monday against the Vancouver Canucks, a team Torts ironically coached before.
