Tortorella leaves door open for return to Vegas

Tortorella leaves door open for return to VegasVegas Golden Knights43mKristen ShiltonAndersen, Bussi laud one another after raising CupCarolina Hurricanes23mGreg WyshynskiLightning strikes twice: Kucherov wins 2nd MVPTampa Bay Lightning3dGreg WyshynskiReports: Nurse gives Oilers list of trade optionsEdmonton Oilers3dWay-too-early NHL Power Rankings: Each team's early-summer storylineAnaheim Ducks3hESPN StaffKeys to the offseason: Free agency plans for Hurricanes and Golden KnightsCalgary Flames16dRyan Clark and Kristen ShiltonHow undrafted players became so vital to NHL teams' successCarolina Hurricanes5dRyan ClarkKristen ShiltonJun 15, 2026, 01:36 AM ETCloseKristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.Follow on XMultiple AuthorsEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights were still digesting their 3-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday when coach John Tortorella was asked what's next for him with the club -- and whether he'd be back behind the bench after a brief stint with the team that ended in utter disappointment."I haven't even [considered it]," Tortorella said.

"I have to swallow [this loss] first."That was a different message than what Tortorella had conveyed just last week in an interview with Sportsnet. At that time, Tortorella said "end of June, I'm done, as far as with Vegas."

That seemed to reflect the arrangement Tortorella had with Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon in stepping in for Cassidy in the latter stages of the Golden Knights' regular season; he was a short-term solution to take the team through what it hoped would be a Cup-winning spring.Vegas ultimately fell short of that goal, but Tortorella -- who was brought in to replace the fired Bruce Cassidy on March 29 and guide Vegas through its final eight regular-season games and into the playoffs -- didn't immediately double-down on being done in the desert. McCrimmon said he felt the Golden Knights had "lost their spirit" under Cassidy and tapped Tortorella to bring it back.

Vegas responded by going 7-1 to finish the regular season and then advanced deep into the playoffs. Coming up short -- on home ice, no less -- was a difficult reality to face."Wild year, crazy year," Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb said.

"We came together as a group late in the year. Torts came in late in the year and did a great job. This is going to sting; it's going to haunt us.

But we are proud of how we got here and how we played. Unfortunately, it just wasn't good enough."There was no guarantee the Golden Knights would be in position to reach a Cup Final in 2026 given the ups and downs of their season.

Vegas went 1-5-2 after the league's Olympic break in February, and when Tortorella was brought on, the Golden Knights had dropped to third place in the Pacific Division with their playoff aspirations seemingly slipping away. It took more than Tortorella to turn things around, but he was an undeniable catalyst for change."When I look at everything that happened this season, to give ourselves a chance, is pretty special," captain Mark Stone said.

"But it doesn't make things better right now. This feeling sucks. I never want to have it again."

Several players hinted that injuries ultimately took a toll on Vegas. The Golden Knights had to play Game 6 without top center William Karlsson -- who sustained an apparent arm/wrist injury in Game 5 on Thursday -- but there were others suiting up at less than 100% as well. And Vegas was at a disadvantage early in Sunday's game.

The Golden Knights fell behind when Taylor Hall picked up a loose puck and buried it behind Carter Hart less than four minutes into the first period. It was a nightmare start for Vegas, trying to forge a comeback against a Carolina team that was 3-0 in elimination games in this postseason.Tortorella tapped Reilly Smith -- a healthy scratch since May 1 in Game 6 of the Golden Knights' first-round playoff series against Utah -- to replace Karlsson.

The Golden Knights' coach also made a surprising call to insert Braeden Bowman on the fourth line over Keegan Kolesar, despite Bowman having not played an NHL game since March 21 -- before Tortorella became Vegas' coach.One change Tortorella wasn't willing to make was in net. Though the Hurricanes went from Frederik Andersen to Brandon Bussi as their starter when Andersen sustained a knee ailment earlier in the series, Tortorella staunchly stood with Hart over Adin Hill.

And Hart did what he could in Game 6, recording a .909 SV% while the Golden Knights struggled to generate any offense. But he couldn't match Bussi's perfection in Sunday's matchup."

I thought their goaltender was really good tonight," Tortorella said. "Since he came in, he's been really good. We put some good minutes in too.

It's a find a way league and they found a way and we didn't."The shakeups Tortorella tried to make didn't help the Golden Knights as they failed to maintain any momentum offensively and