{"id":4488,"date":"2026-03-29T23:26:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T23:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/firing-bruce-cassidy-wasnt-just-punishment-vegas-hired-john-tortorella-to-fix-scoring-and-goaltending-with-eight-games-left\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T23:26:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T23:26:00","slug":"firing-bruce-cassidy-wasnt-just-punishment-vegas-hired-john-tortorella-to-fix-scoring-and-goaltending-with-eight-games-left","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/firing-bruce-cassidy-wasnt-just-punishment-vegas-hired-john-tortorella-to-fix-scoring-and-goaltending-with-eight-games-left\/","title":{"rendered":"Firing Bruce Cassidy wasn&#8217;t just punishment: Vegas hired John Tortorella to fix scoring and goaltending with eight games left"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--NACM_LINK_HIGHLIGHT_HOVER_CSS--><\/p>\n<style>\n\/* ===============================\n   NACM HIGHLIGHT ITEM HOVER\n   =============================== *\/\n.nacm-highlight-item{\n  transition: box-shadow .25s ease, transform .25s ease;\n}\n.nacm-highlight-item:hover{\n  box-shadow:0 14px 34px rgba(0,0,0,0.22) !important;\n  transform: translateY(-1px);\n}\n<\/style>\n<p><!--NACM_LINK_DEFAULT_HOVER_CSS--><\/p>\n<style>\n\/* ===============================\n   NACM DEFAULT LINK BOX HOVER\n   =============================== *\/<\/p>\n<p>\/* \u2705 \uae30\ubcf8\ud615 \ubc15\uc2a4 hover: \uadf8\ub9bc\uc790 \uac15\ud654 (inline box-shadow\ub3c4 \ub36e\uc5b4\uc500) *\/\n.nacm-link-wrapper .nacm-link-box{\n  transition: box-shadow .25s ease, transform .25s ease;\n}\n.nacm-link-wrapper .nacm-link-box:hover{\n  box-shadow:0 14px 32px rgba(0,0,0,0.18) !important;\n}<\/p>\n<p>\/* \u2705 \uae30\ubcf8\ud615 \ub9c1\ud06c hover: \uc0c9\uc0c1 \ubcc0\uacbd (WP \uc804\uc5ed a:hover \ub36e\uc5b4\uc500) *\/\n.nacm-link-wrapper a.nacm-link{\n  transition: color .2s ease;\n}\n.nacm-link-wrapper a.nacm-link:hover{\n  color:#1e88ff !important;\n  text-decoration:none !important;\n}\n<\/style>\n<p><!--NACM_STRONG_CSS--><\/p>\n<style>\n.nacm-strong{\n  font-weight: normal;\n  text-decoration: underline;\n  text-decoration-color: #e53935;\n  text-decoration-thickness: 2.5px;\n  text-underline-offset: 3px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<p>The <strong class=\"nacm-strong\">Vegas<\/strong> <strong class=\"nacm-strong\">Golden<\/strong> Knights dismissed Bruce Cassidy late in the 2025\u201326 regular season and brought in veteran John Tortorella with eight games remaining \u2014 a move that is less a simple rebuke of Cassidy and more a targeted attempt to cure an acute scoring drought and chronic goaltending collapse before the playoffs.<\/p>\n<h2>Timing and what the club put on the line<\/h2>\n<p>General Manager Kelly McCrimmon made the change while Vegas sat third in the Pacific Division with 80 points, having lost 12 of its last 16 games and gone 5\u201310\u20132 since the Olympic break. Cassidy leaves with a 178\u201399\u201343 record in Vegas and 24 playoff wins, including the franchise\u2019s 2023 Stanley Cup; the club replaced him with Tortorella with only eight regular-season games left to protect its postseason position.<\/p>\n<p>That eight-game window is the concrete limit on what a new coach can accomplish; McCrimmon framed the decision as a bid to \u201crestore the team\u2019s expected level of play,\u201d and the organization has shown a willingness to make late-season coaching changes before (Gerard Gallant in 2020, Pete DeBoer in 2022), signaling low tolerance for prolonged slumps even when a playoff spot is still within reach.<\/p>\n<h2>Numbers that complicate the simple &#8220;bad coach&#8221; story<\/h2>\n<p>Under Cassidy, the Knights over the last 17 games posted a league\u2011best five\u2011on\u2011five expected\u2011goals share of 58.6% while suffering a shooting percentage of just 6.81% during the same stretch. Those two figures pull in opposite directions: the xG share indicates the team generated the chances you want, while the shooting rate shows the team failed to convert those chances into goals.<\/p>\n<div class=\"nacm-desktop-only\">\n<div class=\"nacm-link-wrapper\" style=\"width:90%;margin:28px auto;\">\n<div class=\"nacm-link-box-title\" style=\"font-size:0.9em;font-weight:800;margin:0 0 12px 4px;letter-spacing:0.3px;\">You May Also Like<\/div>\n<style>\n\/* \u2705 \uce74\ub4dc \uac1c\ubcc4 hover *\/\n.nacm-card-item{\n  transition: box-shadow .25s ease;\n}\n.nacm-card-item:hover{\n  box-shadow:0 14px 30px rgba(0,0,0,.18);\n}<\/p>\n<p>\/* \uc774\ubbf8\uc9c0 \ud655\ub300 *\/\n.nacm-card-item .nacm-card-img{\n  overflow:hidden;\n}\n.nacm-card-item .nacm-card-img img{\n  transition:transform .35s ease;\n}\n.nacm-card-item:hover .nacm-card-img img{\n  transform:scale(1.06);\n}<\/p>\n<p>\/* \ud0c0\uc774\ud2c0 \uc0c9\uc0c1 *\/\n.nacm-card-item .nacm-card-title a{\n  transition:color .25s ease;\n}\n.nacm-card-item:hover .nacm-card-title a{\n  color:#1e88ff !important;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"nacm-link-box nacm-link-box--card\" style=\"border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:16px;padding:18px;background:#fff;\">\n<div class=\"nacm-card-item\" style=\"display:flex;gap:18px;align-items:stretch;border-radius:14px;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #eef0f3;\">\n<div class=\"nacm-card-img\" style=\"flex:0 0 40%;max-width:40%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/an-american-football-placed-on-a-training-bench-next-to-an-orange-training-cone-ideal-for-sports-concept.webp\" alt=\"How the Maxx Crosby Trade Reveals New Constraints in NFL Roster Strategy\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;display:block;\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding:14px 16px;flex:1;min-width:0;\">\n<div class=\"nacm-card-title\" style=\"font-size:1.08em;font-weight:800;line-height:1.25;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/how-the-maxx-crosby-trade-reveals-new-constraints-in-nfl-roster-strategy\/\" target=\"_self\" style=\"text-decoration:none;\">How the Maxx Crosby Trade Reveals New Constraints in NFL Roster Strategy<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-top:6px;font-size:0.9em;line-height:1.45;color:#6b7280;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-line-clamp:2;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;overflow:hidden;\">Strategic Priorities Behind the Maxx Crosby Trade The trade of Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders to the Baltimore Ravens highlights a fundamental divergence in organizational goals. The Raiders are prioritizing a rebuild, exchanging an elite edge rusher for two first-round draft picks. This move reflects their belief in youth development and scouting to [&hellip;]<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n@media (max-width:768px){\n  .nacm-desktop-only{display:none!important;}\n  .nacm-mobile-only{display:block!important;}\n}\n@media (min-width:769px){\n  .nacm-mobile-only{display:none!important;}\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"nacm-mobile-only\" style=\"width:92%;margin:16px auto;\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/how-the-maxx-crosby-trade-reveals-new-constraints-in-nfl-roster-strategy\/\" target=\"_self\" style=\"text-decoration:none;\"><\/p>\n<div style=\"\n    display:flex;\n    gap:10px;\n    align-items:center;\n    padding:10px;\n    border:1px solid #e0e0e0;\n    border-radius:6px;\n    margin-bottom:10px;\n    background:#fff;\n  \"><br \/>\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/an-american-football-placed-on-a-training-bench-next-to-an-orange-training-cone-ideal-for-sports-concept.webp\" alt=\"How the Maxx Crosby Trade Reveals New Constraints in NFL Roster Strategy\" style=\"\n      width:64px;\n      height:64px;\n      object-fit:cover;\n      border-radius:4px;\n      flex-shrink:0;\n    \"><\/p>\n<div style=\"\n      font-size:14px;\n      font-weight:600;\n      line-height:1.4;\n      color:#111;\n      display:-webkit-box;\n      -webkit-line-clamp:2;\n      -webkit-box-orient:vertical;\n      overflow:hidden;\n    \">How the Maxx Crosby Trade Reveals New Constraints in NFL Roster Strategy<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>Goaltending added another layer of failure: four different goalies combined to allow 30.6 goals above average this span, and Adin Hill\u2019s save percentage was notably poor. In other words, the club\u2019s underlying shot profiles were strong enough to expect better outcomes, but both conversion and netminding deteriorated in ways that a coaching change aims to correct \u2014 and that the short eight\u2011game timeframe makes urgent rather than experimental.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Tortorella now \u2014 strengths and obvious risks<\/h2>\n<p>John Tortorella brings a specific tactical and cultural profile: he won the Stanley Cup in 2004 with Tampa Bay, ranks ninth all\u2011time in NHL wins, and is a disciplinarian known for demanding quick results. He had not coached in the NHL this season, was dismissed by Philadelphia late in 2024\u201325, and most recently served as an assistant with the U.S. Olympic team that won gold \u2014 credentials McCrimmon cited when describing the hire as an experienced, immediate fix.<\/p>\n<p>The gamble is explicit. Tortorella\u2019s approach can plausibly change urgency, puck\u2011battle habits and defensive structure in ways that improve goaltender outcomes and nudges players toward higher\u2011quality finishing. The counterweight: he has no season\u2011long continuity with this roster, and coaching style alone is unlikely to erase a teamwide shooting collapse or a multi\u2011goal goaltending deficit without tangible performance shifts from players and goalies within eight games.<\/p>\n<h2>Key metrics to watch in the final eight games<\/h2>\n<p>The next verified checkpoint is whether Tortorella can reverse the offensive drought and stabilize goaltending before the playoffs. Below are the specific metrics to track and what short\u2011term movement would mean for Vegas\u2019 realistic odds of entering the postseason with momentum.<\/p>\n<div class=\"nacm-image-wrapper\" style=\"width:90%;margin:28px auto;border-radius:18px;overflow:hidden;box-shadow:0 16px 36px rgba(0,0,0,0.22);\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/two-men-playing-ice-hockey-game.webp\" alt=\"two men playing ice hockey game\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;display:block;\" \/><\/div>\n<table style=\"border-collapse:collapse;\">\n<tr>\n<th style=\"border:1px solid #888;padding:6px;text-align:left;\">Metric<\/th>\n<th style=\"border:1px solid #888;padding:6px;text-align:left;\">Most recent value<\/th>\n<th style=\"border:1px solid #888;padding:6px;text-align:left;\">8\u2011game checkpoint<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #888;padding:6px;\">Five\u2011on\u2011five expected\u2011goals share<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #888;padding:6px;\">58.6% (league\u2011best over last 17 games)<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #888;padding:6px;\">Sustain above 55% \u2014 indicates chances remain high and that a scoring turnaround is feasible<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #888;padding:6px;\">Team shooting percentage<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #888;padding:6px;\">6.81% during the slump<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #888;padding:6px;\">Clear upward trend across multiple games; one hot game is insufficient<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #888;padding:6px;\">Goaltending (goals above average)<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #888;padding:6px;\">Four goalies +30.6 goals above average<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #888;padding:6px;\">Reduction in goals allowed relative to expected goals against; shorter-term: fewer high\u2011danger shots allowed and improved save rates<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #888;padding:6px;\">Standings \/ points<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #888;padding:6px;\">80 points, third in Pacific<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #888;padding:6px;\">Pickup of points (wins\/overtime points) sufficient to maintain or improve divisional position<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<p>If those checkpoints do not move meaningfully across the remaining eight games, the risk is that the coaching change only postpones an early playoff exit because roster and goaltending issues will still be unresolved.<\/p>\n<h3>Short Q&amp;A on immediate implications<\/h3>\n<p><strong>How fast should fans expect changes?<\/strong> Energy and tactical adjustments can appear immediately; measurable improvements in shooting conversion or goaltending reliability typically require several games, which makes the eight\u2011game window a tight test.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Was Cassidy simply scapegoated?<\/strong> Not entirely. Cassidy\u2019s overall Vegas record and the team\u2019s strong expected\u2011goals numbers show systemic positives. The move reflects organizational impatience with the specific failures in finishing and netminding that coincided with a steep slide.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the clearest stop signal?<\/strong> Continued low shooting percentage and no reduction in goals allowed over the final eight games would suggest the problems are roster or goaltending related, not remediable by a short\u2011term coaching change.<\/p>\n<div class=\"nacm-link-wrapper\" style=\"width:90%;margin:28px auto;\">\n<div class=\"nacm-link-box-title\" style=\"font-size:0.9em;font-weight:800;margin:0 0 12px 4px;letter-spacing:0.3px;\">Additional Resources<\/div>\n<div class=\"nacm-highlight-item\" style=\"display:flex;background:#ffffff;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden;margin:10px 0;box-shadow:0 6px 18px rgba(0,0,0,0.15);transition:box-shadow .25s ease, transform .25s ease;\">\n<div style=\"flex:0 0 6px;background:#00d9ff;border-top-left-radius:12px;border-bottom-left-radius:12px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding:14px 16px;display:flex;align-items:center;line-height:1.45;min-height:56px;background:#ffffff;\"><a class=\"nacm-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportingnews.com\/us\/nhl\/vegas-golden-knights\/news\/golden-knights-fire-bruce-cassidy-vegas-2026-playoffs-john-tortorella\/7ead823a6cbc8f3aa4cb5ade\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:0.82em;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a;line-height:1.45;text-decoration:none;\">Why did Golden Knights fire Bruce Cassidy? Vegas moves on from coach after losing stretch threatens 2026 playoffs | Spor<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"nacm-highlight-item\" style=\"display:flex;background:#ffffff;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden;margin:10px 0;box-shadow:0 6px 18px rgba(0,0,0,0.15);transition:box-shadow .25s ease, transform .25s ease;\">\n<div style=\"flex:0 0 6px;background:#00d9ff;border-top-left-radius:12px;border-bottom-left-radius:12px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding:14px 16px;display:flex;align-items:center;line-height:1.45;min-height:56px;background:#ffffff;\"><a class=\"nacm-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nhl.com\/news\/john-tortorella-hired-as-vegas-golden-knights-coach-after-bruce-cassidy-fired\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:0.82em;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a;line-height:1.45;text-decoration:none;\">Cassidy fired as Golden Knights coach, replaced by Tortorella | NHL.com<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"nacm-highlight-item\" style=\"display:flex;background:#ffffff;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden;margin:10px 0;box-shadow:0 6px 18px rgba(0,0,0,0.15);transition:box-shadow .25s ease, transform .25s ease;\">\n<div style=\"flex:0 0 6px;background:#00d9ff;border-top-left-radius:12px;border-bottom-left-radius:12px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding:14px 16px;display:flex;align-items:center;line-height:1.45;min-height:56px;background:#ffffff;\"><a class=\"nacm-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nhl\/golden-knights\/2026\/03\/29\/vegas-golden-knights-fire-coach-bruce-cassidy-hire-john-tortorella\/89379471007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"font-size:0.82em;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a;line-height:1.45;text-decoration:none;\">Golden Knights fire Bruce Cassidy, hire John Tortorella as coach<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Vegas Golden Knights dismissed Bruce Cassidy late in the 2025\u201326 regular season and brought in veteran John Tortorella with eight games remaining \u2014 a move that is less a simple rebuke of Cassidy and more a targeted attempt to cure an acute scoring drought and chronic goaltending collapse before the playoffs. Timing and what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1674,1676,1678,1673,1672,1680,1677,1679,1675,1671],"class_list":["post-4488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-bruce-cassidy","tag-goaltending-collapse","tag-hockey-analytics","tag-john-tortorella","tag-nhl-coaching-change","tag-nhl-coaching-strategy","tag-nhl-playoffs","tag-pacific-division","tag-scoring-drought","tag-vegas-golden-knights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4488"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4488\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blockchaincasinohub.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}