It's Time For Some Accountability

I have never met Bruce Cassidy, but people have said that he's a well-spoken, thoughtful man who would give insights to his decisions made while coaching. We can debate all day about his reluctance to name Logan Thompson the starter in Las Vegas, eventually leading to Thompson being traded to Washington where he's now 4-0 against his former team including stoning them in the shootout yesterday, prompting the reaction above. The knee-jerk reaction by Vegas to fire a coach who led the team to the Stanley Cup and who has turned in excellent results since that victory reeks of "what have you done for me lately". Being in a results-driven business, Kelly McCrimmon fired Cassidy and hired John Tortorella for the rest of the season.

Vegas has struggled this season as they currently sit in third-place in the Pacific Division and staring down a first-round matchup with the Edmonton Oilers. They're six points back of the Anaheim Ducks with eight games to play, and they don't face the Ducks again. They still have a shot at capturing first-place in the Pacific Division, but they're going to need some help while playing nearly-perfect hockey from this point forward as the John Tortorella era begins today.

The problem is that the four goaltenders that Vegas has employed this season have a woeful .879 save percentage as they've allowed 216 goals on 1788 shots. The fact that they're even in a playoff spot should surprise people because that kind of mediocre goaltending usually results in management hunting for a significant upgrade between the pipes. Adin Hill, who appears to be Vegas's starter, will bring his 3.10 GAA and .866 save percentage to the playoffs against the likes of McDavid and Draisaitl if Vegas doesn't catch Anaheim.

Logan Thompson played 46 games for the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023-24 where he went 25-14-5 with a 2.70 GAA and a .908 save percentage. Adin Hill, who split time in the crease with Thompson, was 19-12-2 with a 2.71 GAA and a .909 save percentage. As you can see, Thompson likely had every right to believe he could win more games based on his statistics that season, so asking the team for greater responsibility in the crease should have been a discussion where Cassidy and McCrimmon could have laid out a scenario where Thompson was given the opportunity to be the starter, especially after Thompson played well from January through to the playoffs.

Instead, it seemed like there was always going to be a competition between the goalies in Las Vegas, and Thompson made the decision to ask for a trade where he could seek a starter's role with another team. Vegas obliged, and he was traded to Washington at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for two third-round picks. The rest, as they say, is history as Vegas has struggled in the crease while Thompson has played well for Washington with two sub-2.50 GAA and .910-or-better seasons, earning a Canadian Olympic roster spot.

Clearly, this problem goes higher than the coach as it wasn't Bruce Cassidy's decision to trade Thompson despite Steven Valiquette's assertion that Cassidy and Pete DeBoer not liking Thompson. Add in the fact that Vegas only has six picks on the first three rounds of the next four NHL Entry Drafts with no first-round picks until 2028, and there's more evidence that management is making bad decisions. It also bears mentioning that Adin Hill and his 3.10 GAA and his .866 save percentage are being paid $6,250,000 until 2031, making the general manager's office the source of Vegas's problems. Spending their way into division titles was a win-now ideology.

Perhaps spending $12 million per season on Mitch Marner was a good idea in the moment as Adin Hill held a 2.47 GAA and a .906 save percentage, but those numbers were the best numbers Hill has posted in any NHL season to date with the number of games he played. They weren't trending in that direction; they were an aberration away from his rather pedestrian baseline numbers. McCrimmon went seeking more help in the crease when he gambled on Carter Hart which, for the most part, has been an utter disaster on the ice as well as for the team's public image, and his follows his trade of fan favourite Marc-Andre Fleury, bailing on Robin Lehner when he needed help, and trading away Thompson. Now we'll see another coach to try cover up the damage that McCrimmon has caused with his short-sighted, win-at-all-costs mentality.

At some point, Kelly McCrimmon has to be responsible for the team he's assembled. Yes, the coach can and will make mistakes when it comes to player deployment or line combinations, but Bruce Cassidy proved he has the skills to do the job with the Stanley Cup ring he earned. Instead, this year's push will fall to John Tortorella after McCrimmon fired Cassidy one day after the Logan Thompson fist pump at the end of the shootout. Tortorella is only signed through to the end of the season, so this coaching carousel could start up again the moment that Vegas is eliminated from the 2026 playoffs.

Perhaps at that point, Kelly McCrimmon will finally be held responsible for results turned in by Kelly McCrimmon's team.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!