It rarely happens that an NHL team decides to fire their head coach right before the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s even more rare when that team is already sitting in a playoff spot
On Sunday, March 29, the Vegas Golden Knights (33-26-16), released a statement saying they were relieving head coach Bruce Cassidy of his duties and replacing him with John Tortorella.
“We thank Bruce Cassidy for his dedication to our hockey club and community over the past four seasons,” said General Manager Kelly McCrimmon in a statement released Sunday. “Under Bruce’s leadership, we reached our ultimate goal in 2023 by bringing a Stanley Cup to Vegas. Bruce will forever be remembered with the utmost regard by our organization for what was accomplished here.
McCrimmon added “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. With John Tortorella, we bring in a Stanley Cup Champion as well as one of the most experienced and respected coaches in the NHL.
Cassidy led the team to a Stanley Cup victory in 2023, just one year after the Boston Bruins organization fired him after six seasons. Cassidy’s tenure in Vegas resulted in a 178-99-43 record across his four seasons as head coach.
Fans should keep an eye on Cassidy, especially during the off-season as the veteran coach would be a good fit for a team ranking low in the standings looking to make a change to their coaching staff.
Tortorella is no stranger to the NHL. He has served as head coach in the league for a total of 23 seasons, most recently with the Philadelphia Flyers (2022-25). Tortorella also spent six seasons with the Colombus Blue Jackets where he led the team to its first ever second round appearance in the playoffs back in 2019.
Tortorella’s most recent notable appearance in the coaching setting was earlier this year where he served as the assistant coach for the United States. He helped lead the Americans to a gold medal win alongside current Knights players forward Jack Eichel and defenseman Noah Hanifin.
Tortorella’s tenure with the team remains uncertain as he is on an agreement to coach the team throughout the regular season and the playoffs, granted Vegas secures a spot. A long-term agreement will then be discussed based on Tortorella’s performance as head coach, according to ESPN.
“We’re in a tight race right now,” center Jack Eichel said in an interview with ESPN. “It’s the end of March, and we’re heading into April. At the end of the day, you’ve got to win hockey games this time of year.
The Knights secured their first win under Tortorella on Monday night with a 4-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks. They have just seven games remaining in the regular season with 82 points. Behind them are the Los Angeles Kings (76) fighting for third place in the Pacific division.
It will be a crucial final few regular season games for the Knights who look to maintain a spot in the playoffs and for fans to see how well they perform under Tortorella, as his long-term position with the team remains uncertain.
The Vegas Golden Knights face off against the Calgary Flames on Thursday with a start time of 7 p.m.