The Vegas Golden Knights are betting that a coaching change can revive a team that has lost its edge at the worst possible time. General manager Kelly McCrimmon said the players had “lost their spark,” and that concern pushed the organization to fire Bruce Cassidy and hand the bench to John Tortorella for the stretch run.
Vegas enters a home game against Vancouver on a three-game losing streak and has dropped six of its past seven. The slump has left the Golden Knights in third place in the Pacific Division, still inside a playoff spot, but searching for the energy that defined much of their season before the recent slide.
A sudden move to change the room
McCrimmon said the decision was driven by urgency, not panic, after watching a team that spent about three months atop the division fade during the final push. The Golden Knights are 5-10-2 since the Olympic break through Sunday, a run that raised doubts about whether the current group could regain its form without a major jolt.
Captain Mark Stone acknowledged the problem, saying the locker room had “gone a little stale.” He also said the team was not playing with the emotion it usually brings, and that the group now has to “bring ourselves into the fight a little bit.”
Why Tortorella got the call
Tortorella arrives in Las Vegas with a long coaching résumé and a reputation for demanding intensity. The 67-year-old is in his 24th NHL season as a head coach, owns a career record of 770-648-37, and won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004.
He also came to Vegas after a year away from the league, having served as an assistant for the U.S. team at the Milan Cortina Olympics, where it won gold. Tortorella said he viewed the opportunity as a chance to help a team in need, and he told the players that they would have to work through the situation together.
“I just want to help,” Tortorella said. “We’re going to do it together.”
What changes can fit in this late
Tortorella said there is not enough time to rewrite the system or overwhelm players with a long list of adjustments. Instead, he plans to make smaller tweaks and lean on the staff and the players for information as he learns the group quickly.
He even let the assistant coaches build the lines for the game against the Canucks, a sign that the transition will be managed carefully rather than overhauled. That approach reflects the reality of the schedule, with only eight games left in the regular season.
- Keep the structure simple.
- Push the pace and energy level.
- Avoid overloading players with new details.
- Use the remaining games as a test for urgency and response.
A roster built for a deeper run
The Golden Knights did not make this move because they lack talent. McCrimmon pointed to the club’s expectations and belief in the roster, especially after adding forward Mitch Marner in a sign-and-trade with Toronto last offseason as part of a clear win-now push.
Vegas won the Stanley Cup just three years ago, and management continues to operate with the view that every season should serve the goal of eventually hoisting the trophy again. McCrimmon said that belief is why the team could not simply let the slump continue without intervention.
“If we didn’t have the expectations and the belief in our team that we do, we probably would have let this thing ride out,” McCrimmon said. “We think our team has a chance to win. We needed to make this change to help that happen.”
Players see a narrow window
The reaction inside the room has been mixed with urgency and optimism, but not surprise. Noah Hanifin said Tortorella could be the coach most capable of helping the team “turn things around” with so little time left, and he stressed the need to get back to playing with “energy and some jam.”
Jack Eichel made clear that the situation now demands results, not explanations. “It’s the end of March, and we’re heading into April,” Eichel said, adding that the team has to win games and be better on a night-to-night basis.
That leaves Vegas in prove-it mode, with almost no margin for error and no guarantee that a coach change will fix everything. The organization is hoping Tortorella’s presence brings the emotional lift the team has lacked, because the next few games will determine whether the Golden Knights can turn a disappointing slide into a late push or carry that frustration into the playoffs.
