Why Golden Knights aren't bringing back John Tortorella as head coach

The Vegas Golden Knights have announced that Head Coach John Tortorella will not be returning to the team's coaching staff after losing the Stanley Cup Final to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games.

Tortorella recently took over for Bruce Cassidy, who was terminated in late March. Under Tortorella's leadership, Vegas goaltender Carter Hart gave up 22 goals in six games en route to losing the Stanley Cup Final and was seen on the ice in tears — reports have surfaced that it marked the worst statistical goaltending performance in any Stanley Cup Final in NHL history; a question from NHL media member Jonny Lazarus to Tortorella on why he did not turn to Stanley Cup Champion goalie Adin Hill was dodged. Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon made the announcement of parting ways with Tortorella on the afternoon of June 16.

McCrimmon expressed gratitude to Tortorella for leading him to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.

“We thank Torts for the guidance he provided our team since joining the organization in March,” said McCrimmon in the media release. “When the decision was made to bring Torts to Vegas, we needed an immediate impact to help us at a pivotal point in the season. Torts’ experience and leadership proved to be the boost that we were looking for, helping guide us to the Stanley Cup Final. We are grateful for Torts’ passion, sincerity, and commitment to our organization, and we wish him and his family the best.”

Tortorella's deal with Vegas was only through June 30, the end of the league calendar.

Golden Knights part ways with Head Coach John Tortorella

At the time of the firing of Cassidy — who had one year remaining on his contract — in favor of Tortorella, the Golden Knights were 3-5-2 in their past 10 games and were third in the Pacific Division.

Tortorella was brought in for his postseason resume — his clubs had earned a division title on three different occasions (2002-03, 2003-04, 2011-12), made two appearances in the conference finals (2003-04, 2011-12), and one in the Stanley Cup Final (2003-04).

ESPN has also reported that the Golden Knights are expected to evaluate the rest of their coaching staff, which includes Dominique Ducharme, Joel Ward, John Stevens and Sean Burke.

Tortorella is 67 and was originally brought to Vegas with only eight games remaining in the regular season.

Cassidy is still under contract with the Golden Knights, and Vegas has not granted him permission to interview with the divisional rivals of the Los Angeles Kings and/or Edmonton Oilers — both of which had vacancies. The Kings have since hired Peter Laviolette, while the Oilers' job remains available.

The NHL has stepped in to rule that Vegas is within its rights to withhold permission while Cassidy is still under employment by the franchise, and a noncompete clause leaves Cassidy without recourse.

Emily Kaplan of ESPN also indicated in her report that Tortorella would still like to pursue coach next season.

The Golden Knights finished the 2025-26 postseason with 14 wins and eight losses, giving up a total of 62 goals.

MORE: Hurricanes' Jordan Staal writes Conn Smythe Trophy history