The Vegas Golden Knights made a mind-shocking move on Sunday in desperation to save their season by firing Bruce Cassidy.
Wait a minute. The Golden Knights are in third place in the Pacific Division. They are four points ahead of the fourth-place team and look to be in good shape to make the playoffs.
Well, that’s it. The organization isn’t content with just making the postseason. The club wants to go all the way. And despite going all-in with the offseason signing of Mitch Marner and the in-season trade for Rasmus Andersson, the club isn’t substantially better than anyone else in the Western Conference.
The Golden Knights are riding a three-game skid and risk falling out of a playoff spot if they can’t turn things around. So, it seems that moving on from their 2023 Stanley Cup-winning coach was the best way they could shake things up.
All right, there’s nothing new with this sort of move. But what raises so many eyebrows is the timing. Vegas has eight games left in its season. So, why make a move so late in the season?
It’s virtually impossible to know unless one is privy to the inner dealings of the organization. Perhaps Cassidy just lost the room. There was something about him that just wasn’t getting through to his players.
So, the club decided to part ways. Bear in mind that Vegas has a reputation for being a cutthroat organization. That’s why they decided to make this move now. The Golden Knights are looking to salvage their season before it’s way too late.
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In place of Cassidy, the Knights brought in veteran coach John Tortorella.
This choice makes the move even more controversial for Vegas. Tortorella had a tough ending to his tenure in Philadelphia. Questions emerged about his relationship with players and his hardened demeanor.
Philly sacked him late last season amid an awful skid that took the Flyers right out of playoff contention.
This season, “Torts” has been a mainstay on television broadcasts. His insights are good and provide value to viewers. But his return to coaching is certainly surprising. Unfortunately for the Golden Knights, he was the only coach available of any meaningful stature.
It’s worth noting that Peter DeBoer, who last served as an assistant on Team Canada’s Olympic team, likely didn’t take the bait. That’s speculation, but it wouldn’t be surprising if things went in that direction.
What’s Next for Vegas?
The next step is to turn things around. The Golden Knights are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. It seems like they might just back into the postseason. That’s not good, especially since it seems like they’ll face the Edmonton Oilers in the first round. If they drop to a wild card spot, it’ll likely be the second one. And that means facing the Colorado Avalanche in the first round.
So, the clock is ticking for the Golden Knights to make the most of their final eight games. If they can get hot and healthy, they’ll roll into the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs with a reasonable chance to get past the first round.
Golden Knights Hoping to Salvage Season with Desperate Move