Former Rangers Coach Gets Job-Status Update After Cup Final Loss
John Tortorella’s career behind an NHL bench may not be over, but his tenure in Las Vegas is up.
Despite leading the Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes, Tortorella was informed Tuesday that he won’t be offered a contract for next season.
Tortorella, who coached the Rangers from 2009-13, took over in Vegas for the fired Bruce Cassidy in late March with eight games left in the regular season. Vegas picked up the remainder of his contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, who fired Tortorella near the end of the 2024-25 season.
The Golden Knights closed out 7-0-1, then were 14-8 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including a sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final.
“We thank Torts for the guidance he provided our team since joining the organization in March,” Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon said in a statement. “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.”
John Tortorella Not Retained by Golden Knights
Rangers fans well know Tortorella is a taste that doesn’t stay fresh long. This latest opportunity appeared to be a perfect fit to maximize Tortorella’s immediate impact on a talented team, without a long-term commitment.
So the fact the Golden Knights didn’t offer Torts a contract is not a big surprise.
There always was a vibe of temporariness with Tortorella in Las Vegas, despite the run to the Final. Tortorella didn’t offer much insight into what he was doing for the Golden Knights during the postseason, outside of his highly controversial “I love the kid” comments about goalie Carter Hart. He seemed as inclined to discuss basketball as he was to break down what he was doing for the Knights.
Despite the run to the Cup Final, Tortorella left his usual mark on the Golden Knights franchise.
Vegas forfeited a second-round pick in the upcoming NHL Draft due to “flagrant violations” of the League’s media policy; Tortorella was also fined $100,000 for blowing off a postgame press availability after the series-clinching Game 4 win over Colorado.
John Tortorella’s Murky NHL Future
Somehow it’s been 26 years since Tortorella started his coaching tenure with the Rangers by taking over for John Muckler at the end of the 1999-2000 season.
Yet, the two-time Jack Adams Award winner, who turns 68 on June 24, may be done as a full-time coach after not being retained by the Golden Knights.
His options for 2026-27 are limited, since there are only two openings left aside from Vegas. The Edmonton Oilers are reportedly trying to hire Mike Babcock, though reportedly the NHL launched an investigation into Babcock’s resignation as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets back in 2023.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, who fired Craig Berube shortly after John Chayka and Mats Sundin were named co-bosses earlier in the spring, also have an opening. Though, if Tortorella couldn’t shake Larry Brooks in New York, you could only imagine how he’d deal with Steve Simmons and the hockey-mad Maple Leafs media.
For some reason coaching in Canada seems extremely unlikely for the Massachusetts-born Tortorella anyway. He has a cushy gig to go back to in New England, serving as an ESPN analyst, and his only time coaching a Canadian team, the Vancouver Canucks in 2013-14, didn’t exactly go well.
Tortorella has done it all in hockey. He won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004 and was named the NHL Coach of the Year in the process. He also won Coach of the Year honors with Columbus in 2017.
Yet, the fire surely burns bright for the intense ex-Rangers coach, which is undoubtedly why he left broadcasting to coach Vegas this season. He can still coach, since he clearly outfoxed Jared Bednar in the West Final after defeating Joel Quenneville and Andre Tourigny in the first two rounds.
But it’s also hard to envision another team hiring Tortorella on a full-time basis and bringing his sideshow to town, no matter how successful he was in his 11 weeks with the Golden Knights.
