The Vegas Golden Knights made a move that apparently saved their season when they decided to part company with Bruce Cassidy in late March. The team needed a boost because their playoff status was shaky and it looked like this talented team could miss out on the postseason.
Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon made the bold move of bringing in John Tortorella as the new head coach. It seemed like a questionable choice at best, because the 67-year-old Tortorella did not appear to have much of a shelf life at this point in his coaching career. His last stops in Columbus and Philadelphia had ended in disappointing fashion, and his “my way or the highway” coaching style did not work any longer with modern hockey players.
Nevertheless, the move was made to bring Tortorella in because the Golden Knights had apparently tuned out Cassidy, who is considered one of the brightest minds in the business. Cassidy is quite demanding himself, and when his players made multiple mistakes, he called them out on them. He is not easy to live with when problems develop and even though he won the Stanley Cup with the VGK in 2023, he was sent packing.
Tortorella had a positive impact …
Tortorella inexplicably led his new team to a 7-0-1 record in the final eight regular-season games and that allowed Vegas to win the Pacific Division title. The Stanley Cup playoffs looked like a huge mountain to climb, and it was difficult to see what had been an underachieving team through the majority of the regular season win more than one round.
Vegas lost 2 of 3 games to start the playoffs against the upstart Utah Mammoth, but won the series in six games. Their second-round series against the talent Anaheim Ducks could have gone in either direction when the teams split the first four games, but the Golden Knights got a huge lift from goalie Carter Hart and won the series in six games.
However, once this series ended, the VGK had a date with the Presidents Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche. The idea that Tortorella would find any answers against the best team in hockey seemed like it was too much to ask. The Avs were just too powerful with Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Marty Necas leading the way.
But the Golden Knights were reborn under Tortorella and swept the best team in hockey. Surely nothing could stop them at this point from winning their second Stanley Cup in just their ninth season of existence.
But the Stanley Cup Finals saw the clock strike midnight for Tortorella and his new team. The Golden Knights had their moments in winning two of the first three games and generally looking like the better team, but the Carolina Hurricanes had Rod Brind’Amour behind the bench and he reached in and pulled a magnificent effort out of his players.
Carolina had suffered multiple heartbreaking postseason losses in the past, but captain Jordan Staal wouldn’t let that happen again. The Hurricanes had speed, heart and Brandon Bussi in net and won the final three games of the series. They skated around T-Mobile Arena with the Stanley Cup and the Golden Knights’ season ended in heartbreak.
Tortorella had no solutions against that opponent and now the team looks to the future.
Bringing Tortorella back would be a huge mistake
The veteran coach is not an easy man to live with. He had alienated players and media members during previous coaching stints with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Blue Jackets and the Flyers. While he had won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004, none of his coaching tenures had ended well.
He is tough, demanding and somewhat out of touch with the modern standards. He has already cost the VGK its second-round choice in this year’s NHL Draft when he violated NHL policy and refused to speak to the media or open the Vegas locker room following their series-clinching win over the Ducks in the second round. The NHL acted swiftly in taking away the draft pick from the team and fining Tortorella $100,000 for his harmful actions.
Tortorella did that after the team advanced to the Western Conference Final. What will he do when the team goes into a slump during the dog days of the regular season? Does McCrimmon suddenly think that Tortorella has changed his ways and become a player-friendly coach who will bring out the best in Mitch Marner, Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl? It would be foolish to think that Tortorella is a long-term solution. If McCrimmon decides to bring back Tortorella, it could be disastrous for the VGK.
It seems unlikely that the Golden Knights would once again turn to Cassidy after firing him at such a crucial point in the season. However, they have refused to part company completely, as they have not allowed the Edmonton Oilers to hire him. Whether they want Cassidy back or not, he would be a better choice than Tortorella going forward, as would nearly any coaching candidate that McCrimmon decides to bring in.
Despite his success over the last tw0-plus months, Tortorella is a toxic leader and is not the right man to serve as the Golden Knights’ head coach. It is time to thank him for his services and send him on his way.
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