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Former Misfits Coach “Pissed Off” But Thankful For KHL Opportunity

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On August 16, 2025

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

One of the darkest days in Golden Knights history was when the front office released a split statement announcing the firing of beloved coach Gerard Gallant AND the hiring of Bond-like villain Peter DeBoer. It was a cold, calculated decision to break the news on the road and in the early hours of the Pacific time zone. However, the news of the firing did not successfully slide through the morning news cycle. VGK fans felt robbed by the dismissal of the franchise’s first coach, who so happened to lead the club to a Stanley Cup final in the team’s historic inaugural season. It felt as if Gallant would be behind the Golden Knights’ bench for a while.

Well, it didn’t. After building a solid 118-75-20 record in Vegas, the organization went in a completely different direction. Unlike DeBoer, Gallant has always been fondly remembered by the 31st franchise’s fanbase.

This week, Gallant accepted a job not with an NHL club but with the KHL’s Shanghai Dragons. (The unveil video is out of control, make sure you watch it if you haven’t seen it yet.) While he would have preferred to stay in North America, the former Golden Knights coach still has the desire to lead a group of professional hockey players to the promised land.

I’ve been out for two seasons and nothing has happened yet. Am I a little pissed off? Yes, but that’s the way it goes, you wait for your turn and your opportunities. I took this job with the mindset that I’m going to Russia and St. Petersburgh and I’m going to coach there. After the first year there’s an out-clause and I’ll look at something if something comes up. Otherwise, I’m going over there with the focus on the St. Petersburgh team and get the Shanghai Dragons in the playoffs. – Gerard Gallant to TSN.ca

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Cassidy Entering Dangerous Third Season With Golden Knights

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On August 28, 2024

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Bruce Cassidy is entering his third season as head coach of the Golden Knights. These have proved to be treacherous waters for the previous two bench bosses in Vegas as Gerard Gallant was let go midway through his third year and Pete DeBoer was fired at the end of his third season in charge.

Starting the season slowly proved costly for both Gallant and DeBoer in their final seasons coaching the Golden Knights.

Gallant’s third-year team won the first two games against the San Jose Sharks but then stumbled to a 9-8-3 mark after the first 20 games. DeBoer’s final season began with a thud as the Golden Knights lost three of the first four games to fall into a hole it would take them months to climb out of truly.

However, the 2019-20 and 2021-22 Golden Knights were each in prime position as the calendar turned. Both Gallant and DeBoer earned the nod as All Star Game head coach for leading their teams to 1st place in the division on January 1st.

Gallant would lose his position after dropping four straight games and six of 10 to see the Golden Knights fall out of the playoff picture while DeBoer’s team lost three key games in a row down the stretch to miss the playoffs entirely.

Cassidy didn’t reach a third season in his first coaching stint in Washington, however, his third year in Boston was his best. Those Bruins started the season strong with an 11-6-3 record. They went nuts when at the start of January winning 21 of 29 games and the 2018-19 Bruins ultimately reached the Stanley Cup Final, losing in seven games to the St. Louis Blues.

When Cassidy steps behind the bench at T-Mobile Arena on Opening Night, October 9th, he’ll have held the job for 848 days. That’s just four fewer than Pete DeBoer. It will be his 165th regular season game in charge of the Golden Knights, already more than DeBoer’s 160.

Cassidy will become the longest-tenured head coach in Golden Knights history if he makes it to March 18th, 2025, passing Gallant’s 1,008 days in charge of the team. He needs 50 games to pass Gallant’s regular season total of 213 games.

April 12th, 2024 – Passed DeBoer’s regular season games (161)
October 14th, 2024 – To pass DeBoer’s days (853)
October 22nd, 2024 – To pass DeBoer’s total games (199)
January 23rd, 2025 – To pass Gallant’s total games (241)
January 26th, 2025 – To pass Gallant’s regular season games (214)
March 18th, 2025 – To pass Gallant’s days (1,009)

Cassidy currently boasts a .637 points percentage as head coach of the Golden Knights. That’s ahead of Gallant’s .601 but behind DeBoer’s .650. To become the winningest coach in VGK history, Cassidy would need this year’s Golden Knights to reach 112 points in 82 games.

So, if Bruce Cassidy reaches the end of the season, with his team winning 112 or more points, and goes on to play 11 or more playoff games, he will become the longest-tenured with the most regular season and playoff games, and the winningest coach Vegas has ever had.

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Pete DeBoer “Rattled” By Firing In Vegas

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On June 23, 2022

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

As the Golden Knights turn the page into a new era, the man in charge of the last one is doing the same himself. Pete DeBoer was recently named head coach of the Dallas Stars taking over a team that went one round further than the team he coached in Vegas this year.

In his introductory press conference, DeBoer shared his reaction to being let go from the Golden Knights this summer.

The Vegas one rattled me because I really thought as a coaching staff we worked as hard as we could with the situation that was handed to us this year. Getting 94 points out of a team that had lost 500 man games to injuries, I thought our coaching staff really worked hard to get that. To put it in perspective the other team that lost that many man games finished in dead last. I’m not going to lie to you, it rattled me a little bit that we were relieved of our duties. -Pete DeBoer

He went on to explain why he was so shocked.

I took the job in Vegas and thought I made an impact. We went to the conference final in the Bubble, went to the conference final, and beat Colorado the President’s trophy-winning team last year, and I thought we were building on that. We’re just starting to reach our potential and then had as disastrous an injury-filled year as I’ve experienced as a coach. -DeBoer

It’s actually fairly similar to the remarks Gerard Gallant made after he was let go from the Golden Knights in early 2020.

Usually you have an idea. You can feel something. But I didn’t have that. Maybe that was my own stupidity, I don’t know. I never felt like anything like that was going to happen. The Florida one I knew was coming, it was just a matter of when. I knew that from a meeting in the summertime. I had the feeling. This one I had no idea it was coming. I didn’t feel it coming at all. That was the toughest part. –Gallant to LVRJ in January 2020

DeBoer exits Vegas posting a record of 98-50-12 in the regular season, 22-17 in the playoffs (including three “round-robin” wins) and a 4-2 mark in series. These marks are all slightly better than Gallant’s 118-75-20 regular season, 16-11 playoff, and 3-2 series records.

Now, in walks Bruce Cassidy, who has enjoyed similar success as his two predecessors. However, all three have failed to deliver the one thing that matters to the Vegas Golden Knights.

And if he doesn’t do it, and do it quickly, he’ll probably be “rattled” or “shocked” in a few years too.

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Golden Knights Coaching Candidates With The Most To Gain/Lose

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On May 27, 2022

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

On Wednesday we highlighted several Golden Knights players that will have the most to gain and the most to lose under a new coach. Let’s reverse that and examine the same for potential head coaches.

Most To Lose

In reality no coach really loses accepting a position with the Golden Knights. The new skipper will have a roster filled with known veteran players impatiently waiting for another Cup run. However, there isn’t much room for error. There will be immediate pressure on Vegas’ next coach no matter who it is.

Barry Trotz

History would be made if Trotz led the Golden Knights to their first Stanley Cup. The 23-year veteran would be one of four coaches to win a Stanley Cup with two different franchises. Which would cement him as one of the elite coaches in NHL history. Also, Trotz will be known as the guy that was able to clean up the mess in Vegas. So, how does Trotz have anything to lose?

Trotz will have his pick of the litter. More than a handful of NHL organizations are hoping he accepts their offer. Some have weaker rosters than Vegas but have less red tape. Trotz has shown interest in having an influence on team management. Will the Cup winning coach want to deal with an already crowded Vegas front office? There’s a potential power struggle situation if Trotz wants to shop for his own groceries. Also, it’s unlikely he will sit idly by when the front office is performing their annual cap gymnastics. It’s just speculation but Trotz may have a fundamental difference chasing a Stanley Cup when his lineup is over the salary cap. That’s not how you get in the conversation with Scotty Bowman.

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Golden Knights Make Statement In Win Over Rangers

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On January 7, 2022

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: Ken Boehlke, SinBin.vegas)

Last night was a good reminder. To fans, to the New York Rangers, to the rest of the NHL, and even to the Golden Knights themselves; when Vegas plays at their best, they are an absolute juggernaut.

On a night where the Golden Knights played with multiple starters still out of the lineup, they completely took it to the Rangers in all phases of the game. It was a familiar sight to those who have watched hundreds of Golden Knights games over the past five years, but one that hasn’t quite been as common this season as in years past.

Against New York, Vegas was exiting their own zone with ease, flying through the neutral zone, generating chances off the rush, and forechecking as a unit to keep the pressure on the Rangers all night long. It led to a game that appeared to be fairly close for 25 minutes to get completely out of hand by the time the full 60 had elapsed.

We started turning those pucks over at the blue line and we started defending in our D-zone instead of playing… giving them time like we’re killing a penalty. When you let them go D-to-D and get pucks to the net and win battles, you’re not going to beat that team. -Gerard Gallant, NYR coach

Vegas scored five goals in total but tallied four in the final 32 minutes of the game when their hard work early started paying off.

I thought in the 1st we were a little slow, but in the 2nd we upped our pace and caught them a few times in between. -Pete DeBoer

The main difference came in the center of the ice. While Vegas’ in-zone defending was solid the entire night, they struggled to control the puck through the neutral zone early against a good Rangers team. In the 2nd, those issues cleaned up and they looked like the team many projected to win the Stanley Cup before this season game.

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New York In Need Of Vegas’ Toughness

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On August 28, 2021

In Team Ops

When former Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant was hired by the New York Rangers earlier this summer nobody in the hockey world was surprised. One of the league’s better coaches was officially a free agent and it was only a matter of time before someone scooped him up. It so happened to be the young, slick skating Rangers, that in ownership’s opinion hadn’t grown enough under their last regime. One area that needed addressing was NY’s lack of toughness. With that in mind, the Rangers added some of the street toughness the Golden Knights are known for.

When you’re a good team and you are ready to win that’s when you start filling in your roles. You get these guys you need to help push you over the top. When you have nine, ten, eleven kids that have to play. I get a kick out of people who said ‘we lacked toughness.’ I knew we weren’t that tough in New York. I knew we needed to get to it.-Jeff Gorton, former New York Rangers GM on Cam and Strick Podcast

After four seasons and one coaching change the Golden Knights have built a reputation for being tough as nails. And it’s not just about throwing bodies around. The word is out, it’s unlikely Vegas backs off from blocking a shot. The Golden Knights have been racking up points and early round playoff wins by wearing down their opponents with size, skill and taking bruises. None of that was happening in Manhattan.

In one swift move the Original 6 team spent their offseason firing an established front office and a bright, young coach to be more like the 31st franchise.

You look at the lineup and you see a team ready to take the next big step. I want to be the hardest-working team in the league – to work hard, to battle hard, to make other teams say, ‘That team works hard every night.’-Gerard Gallant, NY Rangers Head Coach

At his introductory press conference in NY the former Golden Knights leader sounded as if it were 2017 again. His hard working style turned the highly motivated Misfits into a Stanley Cup contending team. Playing fast, along with quick decision making led the Golden Knights to the Finals, not necessarily the heavy, physical style we would see later in Vegas. It was the second season when the local club became bigger, heavier skilled players were added to the roster. The past two seasons Vegas was the biggest and beefiest team in hockey and it’s earned them three trips to the conference finals in four seasons.

Those guys are completely valuable. That’s why you see the Rangers go after Barclay Goodrow. That’s what they’re going after Reaves.-Jeff Gorton, Cam and Strick Podcast

One of the uglier incidents last season occurred in front of Ranger fans at historic Madison Square Garden. NY star Artemi Panarin was unfairly assaulted by Capitals power forward Tom Wilson during a meaningless late season contest. Ownership was furious with Wilson, on ice officials, NHL’s Department of Player Safety and their own personnel. The one-sided scuffle in essence changed the direction of the Rangers, leading to an organizational house cleaning.

NY ownership realized to compete, you have to be able to play like the big boys, or like the Golden Knights. Vegas has become a team other franchises are beginning to emulate. One thing we know Gallant and DeBoer both agree on is mixing it up and playing some old school hockey once in a while. Or old man hockey as Ken would say. Maybe it’s Vegas’ success, or maybe other coaches believe it’s also the style to play to make the promise land.

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5 GM Do-Overs We Wish The Golden Knights Could Make

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On August 19, 2021

In Team Ops

It’s pretty much universally accepted that the Golden Knights front office dominated the Expansion Draft. Not only did they build a team that was good enough to come within three wins of lifting the Stanley Cup, but they acquired a heap of assets to go with it. Since June 21, 2017 though, it’s been a bit bumpier of a road.

I saw a tweet yesterday that got the wheels turning in my mind to go back over some of the worst moves in VGK history. As I did it, I realized just how many good moves have been made since then too. So, this has turned into a two-parter! Today we start with the five do-overs and Saturday we’ll unveil the 5 do-agains.

Here we go…

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

5) Allowing David Perron to leave in free agency

Following the inaugural season and the subsequent run to the Stanley Cup Final it was clear David Perron had fallen out of favor in some way with the Golden Knights organization. He missed the last week of the season, the first two playoff games against the Kings, then found himself as a healthy scratch for two of the five Winnipeg games and one Stanley Cup Final game.

This seemed to overshadow the fact that Perron was one of the most reliable players on the VGK roster the entire season and offered a unique skillset the team has never replaced. His ability to control the puck in the offensive zone, either at even-strength or on the power play opened up space for his teammates and gave the Golden Knights a different look than their usual transition-oriented attacking style.

It was sold as a rebuilding of the 2nd line due to poor defensive statistics, but it seemed to be more about Perron’s age and health than anything else. He went on to sign a four-year deal with a $4 million AAV in St. Louis that has proven to be a steal of a contract. He has 164 points in 184 games with the Blues, more than Max Pacioretty and Jonathan Marchessault in the same span.

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