Former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy abruptly fired by Vegas before playoffs

Bruce Cassidy helped lead Vegas to a Stanley Cup just a year after being fired by the Bruins.

Bruce Cassidy won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

March 29, 2026

2 minutes to read

Former Bruins bench boss Bruce Cassidy is suddenly a free agent — less than a month before the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Cassidy was abruptly fired by the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, with the team moving on from the coach who helped lead Vegas to its first Stanley Cup in the 2022-23 season. Longtime NHL coach John Tortorella will replace Cassidy.

The Golden Knights — who have seemingly been in the midst of a win-now window since their first year in the league — are currently in the playoff picture with a 36-26-16 record (80 points), good for third in the Pacific Division.

But, Vegas has labored as of late, with Saturday’s shootout loss to the Washington Capitals standing as the Knights’ sixth defeat in their last seven games.

“We thank Bruce Cassidy for his dedication to our hockey club and community over the past four seasons,” Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon said in a statement released by the team. “Under Bruce’s leadership, we reached our ultimate goal in 2023 by bringing a Stanley Cup to Vegas. Bruce will forever be remembered with the utmost regard by our organization for what was accomplished here.

“With the stretch run of the 2025-26 regular season upon us, we believe that a change is necessary for us to return to the level of play that is expected of our club. With John Tortorella, we bring in a Stanley Cup Champion as well as one of the most experienced and respected coaches in the NHL. His guidance will be a great asset to our team at the pivotal point in the season we currently face. We look forward to welcoming John to Vegas.”

Cassidy’s career as an NHL head coach has often been rife with success — and abrupt exits.

During Cassidy’s six seasons as head coach of the Bruins, Boston went 245-108-46, made the playoffs all six seasons, and advanced all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2019.

The Bruins fired Cassidy at the end of the 2021-22 season after Boston fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Cassidy was hired by the Golden Knights a little over a week after he and the Bruins parted ways. He lead Vegas to a Stanley Cup title in his first year at the helm.

In his four seasons with the Golden Knights, Cassidy sported a 178-99-43 record.

Expectations were high for Vegas entering the 2025-26 season, especially after the team added former Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner to its lineup over the offseason.

But, Vegas’ struggles this year have been rooted in their brutal goalie depth — with netminders like Akira Schmid (.893 save percentage), Adin Hill (.866 save percentage), and Carter Hart (.871 save percentage) all laboring this season.