Vegas Moves on From John Tortorella

The Vegas Golden Knights will begin a new chapter behind the bench after it was confirmed today that they will be moving on from head coach John Tortorella. Tortorella’s departure comes just months after he took over after Vegas fired Bruce Cassidy and helped guide Vegas on an impressive run to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.

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John Tortorella’s Short but Impactful Stint with Vegas

The Golden Knights moved on from Cassidy in late March, tabbing Tortorella to be the guy as Vegas held a playoff spot. Since Torotella took over, the Golden Knights finished the regular season 7-0-1 averaging 4.1 goals per game while allowing two goals per game. They carried that momentum into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The veteran head coach led the Golden Knights to the franchise’s third Stanley Cup Final in franchise history. It was also their second in the last four seasons.

Although the Golden Knights would fall to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games, Tortorella left his mark on the organization. A team that many thought would lose to the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals came out of nowhere to sweep the President’s Trophy-winning team before their run would come to an end. He finished with a 14-8 record in the playoffs, as Vegas averaged 3.5 goals per game while allowing 2.9 goals per game.

Golden Knights Join Head Coaching Market

The Golden Knights now join a group consisting of the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs. All three are searching for their next head coach. The Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks were on that list, but they each named their head coaches. That makes four out of the eight teams in the Pacific Division who will have a new head coach in 2026-27.

The question is what’s next for Tortorella, and will he be able to talk to any franchises this offseason?