The Vegas Golden Knights are making a major change with just eight games to go in the regular season.
The team announced on Sunday that head coach Bruce Cassidy has been fired and is being replaced by John Tortorella.
The Golden Knights are in a playoff spot at 32-26-16, good for third place in the Pacific Division. They have a four-point lead on the Los Angeles Kings in fourth.
Tortorella has served 23 seasons as an NHL head coach, most recently with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2022 to 2025. He’s also had stints with the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning,
Tortorella is one of just four coaches in NHL history to win the Jack Adams Award with two different teams, earning it with the Blue Jackets in 2017 and the Lightning in 2004, the same year he led them to a Stanley Cup championship.
“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 news release.
“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.”
Cassidy, 60, won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in his first season with the team in 2022-23.
More to come.