The Vegas Golden Knights have fired head coach Bruce Cassidy and have replaced him with veteran bench boss John Tortorella, effective immediately. Vegas has eight games remaining in its regular-season schedule.
The Vegas Golden Knights have made one of the boldest moves of the season, firing head coach Bruce Cassidy on Sunday.
In a corresponding move, the Golden Knights have hired John Tortorella to replace Cassidy, effective immediately.
Tortorella, who's coached over 1,600 games in the NHL across 23 years and for five teams, will be the one behind the bench to lead Vegas in the final stretch of the regular season, and for the entire post-season.
What makes this decision particularly bold is that the Golden Knights have just eight games remaining on their regular-season schedule. They currently sit third in the Pacific Division with 80 points and a 32-26-16 record.
The Golden Knights fire Cassidy in the midst of a bad run of form for the team. Since the calendar flipped to March, Vegas has been one of the worst teams in the NHL with a 4-9-2 record.
Some crucial results during that stretch include two losses to the Edmonton Oilers, as well as defeats to the Utah Mammoth and Nashville Predators, all closing in, or now ahead of the Knights in the standings.
In addition, they've won just one game in their last seven outings.
On Feb. 28, the Golden Knights seemed to be somewhat comfortable, leading the Pacific Division. But with how they've played in March, they are running the risk of falling out of the playoff picture entirely.
Bruce Cassidy (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)Cassidy's tenure with Vegas ended in what was his fourth season with the team. He managed the Knights for 320 regular-season contests, as well as 40 playoff games. That includes the 2022-23 campaign when Cassidy led the Golden Knights to the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup Championship in his first season with them.
Cassidy was in the fourth year of a five-year contract with Vegas.
Tortorella has his fair share of Stanley Cup experience. In his third full season behind an NHL bench, he led the Tampa Bay Lightning to its first Stanley Cup triumph in 2004.
His latest coaching gig was with the Philadelphia Flyers, where he spent three seasons behind the bench. Tortorella hasn't coached a playoff game since 2019-20 with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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