ROLL OF THE DICE

BY MIKE RIFKIN

One thing about the Vegas Golden Knights since they’ve come into the NHL, they’re not afraid of the big move. On Sunday, they made another massive move, firing head coach Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with John Tortorella. Here’s the thing there are EIGHT  games left in the season and the Golden Knights currently sit in third place in the Pacific division.

Cassidy went 178-99-43 in almost four full seasons as the Golden Knights head coach, and led the team to their first  and only Stanley Cup Championship in 2022-23. Tortorella has coached 23 seasons with the Lightning, Rangers, Canucks, Blue Jackets, and Flyers, winning the Cup with the Lightning in 2004. Tortorella most recently was an assistant coach on the United States Gold Medal winning team at the Olympics, where he coached Vegas players Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin. Tortorella’s contract with the Golden Knights is for the final eight games of the season. 

Vegas has struggled after the Olympic break, and with the roster the have it’s shocking to some. But they have a real problem in their goaltending. Just ask the Edmonton Oilers, if you can outscore mistakes. Vegas has played four goalies this season (Akira Schmid, Carter Hart, Adin Hill, Carl Lindbom) and all of them have a save percentage under .900. And only one of them has a GAA under three (Schmid 2.59). But the Golden Knights could’ve had their goaltending situation handled had they had patience. 

At the 2024 draft the Golden Knights traded Goalie Logan Thompson to the Capitals for two third round picks (2024,2025). Thompson, wanted the opportunity to start somewhere and didn’t think it’d be in Vegas. Over the span of four seasons in Vegas, Thompson was 56-32-11 with a 2.67 GAA and a .912 save percentage. Since the move to DC, Thompson has a 57-26-12 record with a 2.45 GAA and the same .912 save percentage. Thompson has become one of the best goalies in the NHL, and I am sure the Golden Knights regret that move.

Here is the other thing about a coaching change this late in the season, how will players respond? We know what John Tortorella will want from his players, how quickly can he establish a system? Vegas has always done things their own way since coming into the league, but this right here is a massive roll of the dice.