The Vegas Golden Knights just became a lot more interesting. In one of the more stunning head-coaching changes in recent history, the Golden Knights announced on Sunday that they have fired Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with John Tortorella.
Cassidy coached the Golden Knights since the start of the 2022-23 season, coaching the team to its first Stanley Cup championship in his debut season. They lost in the first round of the playoffs the following season and the second round a year ago.
Golden Knights decision to hire John Tortorella seems like desperate move
There are a lot of layers to this decision that make it so stunning.
You can look at the fact that the Golden Knights have just eight games remaining in the 2025-26 regular season and are a playoff team as one of those stunning layers. It is not a totally unprecedented move for a playoff team to fire a coach this late in the season, but it is extremely rare. The most successful of these moves came back in 2000 when the New Jersey Devils fired Robbie Ftorek late in the season, replaced him with Larry Robinson, and then went on to win the Stanley Cup.
The fact that Tortorella is their coach of choice is also staggering.
He is a big name, which Vegas loves. He is also extremely volatile and could take this thing in any number of directions.
Tortorella has a strong track record of success in the NHL with multiple teams, but his only Stanley Cup win came back in the pre-lockout, pre-salary cap NHL during the 2003-04 season. He is also the type of coach who can quickly wear out his welcome with players due to his demanding style and push for gritty, physical play.
He is by no means a bad coach. But whether or not he is the right coach for Vegas remains to be seen.