The Philadelphia Flyers fanbase is focused on the final stretch of the season, as the team worked it's way to just be two points back of a playoff spot. But on Sunday evening, the NHL world received stunning news, courtesy of the Vegas Golden Knights. With just eight games left in their regular season, the Golden Knights fired head coach Bruce Cassidy. Taking over for the rest of the campaign is none other than former Flyers coach John Tortorella.
There is no deal beyond this season, so the Golden Knights are looking to see if Tortorella could get more out of a team that is struggling and clutching onto their playoff spot. The Golden Knights have a lot of talent on their roster, and them being in the midst of an uninspiring chase in a weak Pacific Division is something no one saw coming.
With Tortorella, he is looking to do something that hasn't been done in a long time, and that's coach a team to a Stanley Cup title after taking over a team with less than 10 games left in the regular season. The last person to do that was Larry Robinson, who took over for Robbie Ftorek with 74 games remaining in the New Jersey Devils' 1999-2000 season, and win a Stanley Cup.
Incredibly rare for a playoff-bound NHL team to change coaches this late in the regular season: The Golden Knights have eight games left and hope to follow the 2000 New Jersey Devils, who won a Stanley Cup when Larry Robinson replaced Robbie Ftorek after 74 games.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 29, 2026
John Tortorella looking to lead Golden Knights to Stanley Cup after late season hiring
That's how rare of a situation this truly is. The Golden Knights obviously have high standards for their organization. In just a short amount of time in the league, Vegas made it to the Stanley Cup Final twice, winning once. Not to mention, this is a roster featuring stars like Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, and Mitch Marner. The fact that they are clinging to a playoff spot for dear life feels absurd.
The Golden Knight's front office didn't feel that Cassidy could lead the team ton a deep playoff run. They are now entrusting Tortorella to do so.
The Flyers hired Tortorella in 2022, with the hope that he would lead them back to the playoffs, something they haven't done since 2020. The Flyers were in a rebuild during his tenure, and there was promise, such as the 2023-24 season, where they entered the final day looking to clinch a playoff spot, ultimately losing out.
The Flyers fired Tortorella after 66 games into last season, as the team careened into last place in the Metropolitan Division. Overall, Tortorella had a 97-107-33 record in his three seasons in Philadelphia.
Even though Tortorella was out of coaching this season, he was part of the Team USA men's ice hockey coaching staff that won a gold medal in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Tortorella hasn't won a Stanley Cup since 2004 when he was with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In fact, he's never made it back to the Final. While the hope was there that he could eventually lead the Flyers for the first time since 2010, it didn't pan out. Now, he'll look to do so with a talented Vegas roster for this final stretch of the season. From there, we'll see if he'll stay on as coach.