Cooper Krigbaum
PHOENIX — Usually, the Vegas Golden Knights make headlines with a blockbuster trade or signing. This time, it’s a coaching change — in March.
On Sunday, March 29, the Golden Knights fired coach Bruce Cassidy with just eight games remaining in the regular season. The team had lost six of its last seven games and sits in third place in the Pacific Division with 82 points and a 33-26-16 record. The Golden Knights hold a six-point lead over the Los Angeles Kings, who sit one point back of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
As a result of the change, the Golden Knights hired veteran coach John Tortorella. The 67-year-old brings extensive experience, having previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers and now the Golden Knights. He is signed through the rest of the season.
With the move coming just 20 days before the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the question becomes: who’s to blame — or better yet — is there someone to blame?
Who’s To Blame for the Golden Knights Coaching Change?
Cassidy had been at the helm in Las Vegas since the summer of 2022 and led the Golden Knights to their first Stanley Cup in 2023. With the body of work done with the Golden Knights, it was a surprise to most to see him let go, but it’s the callous way the Golden Knights work.
The Ontario, Canada native went 178-99-43 over four regular seasons, the fifth-best record in the NHL during that span. He also recorded 24 playoff wins with the Golden Knights which ranked fourth in the league.
It’s easy to point the finger at Cassidy, and while he’s not innocent, a lot of the Golden Knights’ poor play hasn’t been his fault. The Golden Knights have had arguably some of the worst goaltending in the NHL this season.
| Goaltender | Games Played | Goals Against Average | Save Percentage |
| Akira Schmid | 34 | 2.59 | .893 |
| Adin Hill | 26 | 3.06 | .868 |
| Carter Hart | 12 | 3.28 | .871 |
| Carl Lindbom | 8 | 3.00 | .873 |
Beyond goaltending, questions remain about the roster. The core — Mark Stone, Tomáš Hertl, Shea Theodore, Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner — is getting older, which raises concerns about long-term production and whether the group can maintain its level of play. As the lineup ages, it becomes difficult to sustain the pace and consistency that defined the Golden Knights’ success in past seasons.
Still, there’s an argument to be made that the Golden Knights have underperformed relative to their talent. Despite a roster filled with high-end skill, the team has often struggled to establish momentum, frequently falling behind early in games.
Complicating matters further, they don’t have the draft capital or pool of high-end prospects ready to step in. Their next first-round pick isn’t until 2028, and while 2024 first-rounder Trevor Connelly is in the system, they lack a wealth of blue-chip prospects to help offset any decline at the NHL level.
What About General Manager Kelly McCrimmon?
With that, it’s worth examining general manager Kelly McCrimmon, whose roster construction and long-term decisions carry just as much weight as Cassidy’s coaching. McCrimmon has shaped the roster, salary cap structure and overall depth.
To some degree, and on paper, he has found tremendous success. The Golden Knights are known for making bold moves via trade, and while many have paid off, recent deals haven’t produced the same level of impact as in the past.
“We thank Bruce Cassidy for his dedication to our hockey club and community over the past four seasons,” said McCrimmon via Twitter/X. “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. 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. His guidance will be a great asset to our team at the pivotal point in the season we currently face. We look forward to welcoming John to Vegas.”
Most of the scrutiny will likely fall on McCrimmon. Letting go of Cassidy is a high-risk move, and if it backfires, the fallout will land on the front office. Whether changes come or not, a poor playoff showing could lead to offseason moves involving management, coaches and players.
So far, the move has paid off, as the Golden Knights secured Tortorella’s first win with the team, defeating the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 on Monday night.
The Golden Knights continue their homestand Thursday, April 2, against the Calgary Flames. Whether the coaching change pays off will become clearer in the coming weeks.
