Golden Knights Assign Braeden Bowman To AHL
The Vegas Golden Knights announced tonight that Braeden Bowman has been assigned to AHL Henderson.
Undrafted out of the OHL, Bowman caught on with Vegas and has become a solid depth forward at just 22 years old. A team always right against the cap, with injuries also a factor, the winger managed to get into 54 games at the NHL level where he’s come away with eight goals and 26 points on 14:08 a night. Offering a 49.6% corsi for at five on five, respectable for any unsung rookie, Bowman’s shifts were relatively protected by the now-fired head coach Bruce Cassidy, starting just under 60% in the offensive zone.
Either way, Bowman has lit it up in small AHL usage this season, 12 points in as many games, and he’ll be welcomed into 12th-ranked Henderson’s forward corps with open arms.
The trade deadline acquisitions of Nic Dowd and Cole Smith, both defensive specialists, effectively bumped Bowman out of the lineup who naturally was less trusted in such a role. He hadn’t played since March 21, also unable yet to make an impression in-game under new bench boss John Tortorella.
With seven regular season games left after a shocking late-season shift, Vegas will hope the bold move provides a spark, while Bowman will enjoy playing time in the AHL. The Golden Knights have several veterans with expiring contracts, the likes of Colton Sissons, Brandon Saad, Reilly Smith, as well as the other Smith mentioned above. As a result, Bowman will continue to be an appealing depth option in years to come, already putting together an impressive career for an undrafted player.
John Tortorella's Contract Only Runs Through End Of 2025-26 Season
Earlier this afternoon, the Vegas Golden Knights sent waves through the NHL by firing head coach Bruce Cassidy and replacing him with veteran bench boss John Tortorella. Still, the Golden Knights didn’t give Tortorella a long leash.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Tortorella’s contract with Vegas only runs through the rest of the 2025-26 season. He’ll be guaranteed the last eight games of the regular season for the Golden Knights, and, assuming they make the playoffs, their last game of the postseason. Unless an extension is agreed to beforehand, the Golden Knights may be looking for a new head coach in a few months.
It’s a similar move to what the Columbus Blue Jackets did with Rick Bowness, albeit with much more time remaining in the season. However, even if the Tortorella experiment isn’t fruitful, the Golden Knights could explore a reunion with Peter DeBoer, hire Jay Woodcroft away from the Anaheim Ducks, or take a run at David Carle at the University of Denver. That’s all before any other teams make changes leading into the summer.
Golden Knights Fire Bruce Cassidy, Name John Tortorella Head Coach
A massive storyline has emerged this afternoon as the Vegas Golden Knights have fired Bruce Cassidy and named John Tortorella their new head coach in an announcement from the team.
Currently third in the Pacific Division with more than an 80% chance to make the playoffs per Moneypuck, Vegas’ decision to part ways with the franchise’s most accomplished coach, in late March no less, comes as a shock. With just eight games remaining in the regular season, the group will now be led by Tortorella, who last coached with the Flyers until being fired 367 days ago.
In a statement from General Manager Kelly McCrimmon, he said “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”.
On Tortorella, he continued, “His guidance will be a great asset to our team at the pivotal point in the season we currently face”.
Sitting 19th in the league, it’s fair to say that Cassidy’s efforts came short this season. With 232 goals scored, 19th best across the league, they sit at -2 in overall goal differential. It’s a step below a team which had some hype as a Stanley Cup favorite in the fall.
The 60-year-old emphasizes an aggressive zone entry system with layered defense. Often tailoring his strategy to fit the skills of his players, roster construction has played a part in the Golden Knights’ performance this year.
The summer addition of Mitch Marner was a no-brainer, but it made the team even more top heavy. Depth scoring has been hard to come by, as Vegas has had to rely on various unacclaimed wingers in their bottom six. McCrimmon added depth forwards Nic Dowd and Cole Smith at the deadline, improving penalty killing, but hardly moving the needle offensively.
On the back-end, Vegas made a splash as they acquired Rasmus Andersson from Calgary in January. His underlying numbers have improved, but the 29-year-old’s adjustment to the Golden Knights after nine years as a Flame is still a work in progress. Alex Pietrangelo has been sorely missed, with his career in jeopardy from chronic hip issues.
Finally, goaltending has been another issue for the Golden Knights. Adin Hill, locked up for six more years, is having his worst season as a pro, with injuries a factor. Akira Schmid has held things down respectably, but he’s not a name any real contender would be associated with as their #1 option.
All that to say, Vegas management still believes the roster has more to offer than where they stand today, and they’re making a tremendously bold move in turning to Tortorella. Cassidy immediately becomes the top coach available entering the off-season, with a .630 win percentage including four 50+ win seasons between his time in Boston and Vegas, and of course, a Stanley Cup to boot.
Tortorella, a Stanley Cup winning coach himself (2004, Tampa Bay), is a veteran of 1,620 games behind the bench. He’s also a two-time Jack Adams winner, bringing in the award for the NHL’s best coach in 2004 and 2017. Last in charge in Philadelphia from 2022-25, he was unable to steer the Flyers into the postseason, and did not win more than 38 games in a season. The Massachusetts native had been filling in as an analyst with ESPN, also serving as an assistant on the gold medal winning Team USA at the 2026 Olympic Games.
His more “old school” approach with relentless work ethic and defensive responsibility brought success to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the late 2010s, able to get the most out of lesser skilled teams. The Jackets’ incredible sweep of the President’s Trophy winning Lightning in 2019 stands as the organization’s most proud moment. A franchise never able to find their footing beforehand, the Jackets turned the corner during Tortorella’s term.
How Tortorella may fit into a team like the Golden Knights will be fascinating to watch, especially with the season nearing its end. Never shy to criticize his players, his relationship with Marner, Jack Eichel, and the rest of the Vegas stars will captivate the league.
As far as mid-season coaching changes can go, Tortorella is always an intriguing candidate for his ability to change the culture. Some may be critical of his most recent Flyers tenure and its lack of on-ice success, but Philadelphia management sought out “Torts” to guide the team into a re-tooling period where they’d implement the “Flyers way”. It ended last March unceremoniously, but given their step forward this year, his imprints helped shape the team into what it is today.
With all of that in mind, his latest gig presents a challenge unlike any of the others. It’s hardly a “mid-season” shift. Tortorella inherits a skilled team right on the cusp of the playoffs, in a move that will be scrutinized for years to come.
If any club were to make such a ruthless and unexpected change, it would be the Golden Knights based on their history. They are on to their fourth head coach in nine seasons in existence; such change is despite missing the playoffs just once in that time.
Gerard Gallant led the expansion team to an unforgettable run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018, returning to the playoffs the next year, yet found himself out of a job the following January. Peter DeBoer then took over, leading the Knights to a dominant 2020-21 season where they tied for most points in the NHL before coming up short in the Conference Finals. After a respectable 2021-22 where they did miss the playoffs, he was subsequently dismissed, as Cassidy took the helm.
Much like his previous tenure in Boston which brought a Jack Adams in 2020, Cassidy had immediate success, leading Vegas to their best regular season in franchise history in 2022-23 by point total (111). He capped it off by raising the Stanley Cup, defeating the Florida Panthers in five games. The Golden Knights’ sometimes questionable moves had paid off; they’d reached the pinnacle in just their sixth year as a franchise.
Since then, they’ve won just one playoff round, as the success has been harder to come by. Still, the Golden Knights are right in the playoff mix. The additions of Eichel and Marner have the team set up for years to come, as they etch a new post- “misfits” era.
Now they’re starting over behind the bench yet again, as the trio of Gallant, DeBoer, and Cassidy all ended their tenure with win percentages over .600. In comes Tortorella, 67, whose .479 win percentage in his Flyers tenure came in at the worst compared to his previous jobs (Lightning, Rangers, Canucks, Blue Jackets).
With April just days away, Tortorella will have to hit the ground running, set to make his Vegas coaching debut tomorrow night at home against his former club in Vancouver.
Image Credit: James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports (Tortorella)
Image Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports (Cassidy)
Golden Knights Sign Pavel Moysevich
The Vegas Golden Knights have signed 2024 third-round pick Pavel Moysevich to a three-year, entry-level contract per Moysevich’s agent, Dan Milstein. The Golden Knights later confirmed the deal.
Moysevich, 21, has long been regarded as one of many high-end goalie prospects in the SKA St. Petersburg pipeline. He was one of eight goalies to play for SKA’s VHL club this season, which limited his chance at routine starts all season long. Moysevich was also out of the lineup from mid-November until late-January. In total, Moysevich earned just 10 starts this season. He recorded five wins, a .917 save percentage, 2.41 goals-against-average, and one shutout in those appearances and dressed for an additional 23 games as backup. His stat line fell from the numbers he posted through the last two VHL seasons – a 14-8-2 record, .926 SV%, and 2.17 GAA. Around those games, Moysevich also played in 31 KHL games, netting a .912 SV%, 2.45 GAA, and nine wins.
Moysevich now measures in at six-foot-seven, two inches taller than his draft-year measurements. He still moves with speed and athleticism despite that, giving Vegas an exciting prospect to add to a shallow goalie depth chart. Moysevich should immediately compete with Carl Lindbom and Cameron Whitehead, both 22, for starts in Henderson. Lindbom has posted a .922 SV% in 27 games while Whitehead, playing in his first pro season, has a .878 SV% in 14 games. When he moves to North America, Moysevich could take on the role of Jesper Vikman, who played 18 games with the Silver Knights before being traded to the Washington Capitals in Vegas’ Trade Deadline acquisition of Nic Dowd.
Jonas Rondbjerg Resumes Skating
There’s still no status update on Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, who left early in Sunday’s action against the Predators, playing just 3:12. Late last night head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters, including Jason Gregor of Sports 1440, that “I don’t think it should be long. There might be some time off”.
Draisaitl scored a power play tally just minutes into the game, marking his 30th goal against Nashville across his career, the most against any team he’s played. It’s particularly noteworthy because he’s done so in just 32 games. However, not long after, he took a hit into the opponent’s bench. Staying on his feet, there was still a blow to the lower back area.
The superstar played briefly after, but then was pulled and didn’t return. There was never an official announcement from the team that he’d been ruled out, but as the game wore on, it became only more evident.
It would take a late season collapse for Edmonton to miss the playoffs, but with a goaltending situation as fragile as ever, and a vital player banged up, there’s cause for concern. Draisaitl currently sits fourth in the entire league with 97 points in 65 games, and if he has to miss multiple games, divisional foes Seattle and San Jose may make them uncomfortable in the final stretch of the campaign.
The Oilers are a tale of two extremes, surrendering 232 goals which has them right among the worst in the league, but simultaneously sitting second in ones forced with 238. As a result they’ve ended up perfectly in the middle of the league, 16th, and third in the Pacific.
Edmonton hosts a possible playoff-snatcher in San Jose tomorrow night. Apparently set to do so without Draisaitl, they must shore things up defensively. Giving up 3.4 goals per game, simply out-scoring their issues will be much more difficult. It’s a feeling not foreign to the Oilers throughout the Connor McDavid/Draisaitl era, but at some point, something has to give if they’ll make a third straight run and finally get over the hump.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Canucks head coach Adam Foote shared news to reporters, including Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province/Sun, that Nils Höglander will return tomorrow against Florida. The forward had missed the club’s last two games as a scratch, although injuries have also been a factor. 2025-26 has been a year to forget for the 25-year-old, who suffered a lower-body injury in the preseason, unable to play until December. Ever since then he’s hardly moved the needle with just three points in 25 games, and averaging the lowest ice time of his career. Höglander still has solid possession metrics, indicating he remains useful at even strength. A 24-goal scorer two years ago, the 5’9” winger will try to finish the season on a strong note. He has security, holding a contract which is signed through 2027-28, and could turn things around in a lower pressure environment across the coming years.
- Another update came earlier today, this time from Vegas as Jonas Røndbjerg has resumed skating, relayed by the Review Journal’s Danny Webster. The 26-year-old is not the most recognizable name, but unfortunately his lower-body injury sustained in early February cost him a chance to play on Team Denmark at the Olympics. It’s worth mentioning that it was caused by Anaheim’s Radko Gudas, a player who has been in the headlines of late for his questionable play. Nonetheless, Røndbjerg has skated in just four games for Vegas in 2025-26, notching an assist. He was part of Vegas’ inaugural 2017 draft class, chosen in the third round, since then becoming a key player for AHL Henderson over the years. Røndbjerg has chipped in 11 points across 80 total games for the Golden Knights as a fill-in option with limited usage.
Golden Knights Sign Bronson Ride
The Golden Knights have added some size to the back end in their prospect pool. The team announced that they’ve signed blueliner Bronson Ride to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal, which begins next season, were not disclosed.
The 21-year-old went undrafted in his three years of eligibility despite his six-foot-seven stature. However, Vegas had some familiarity with Ride as he took part in both their development and rookie camps last year. Clearly, he showed enough there to be monitored and has done enough this season to earn a contract.
Ride is in his fifth and final season at the OHL level and his third campaign with North Bay. He has four goals and 17 assists in 57 games, setting new career highs in assists and points. However, he’s more of a stay-at-home defender so offensive production won’t be his calling card at the professional level.
The Battalion are all but locked into a four-five matchup heading into the upcoming playoffs with the only question being who the home team will be between them and Oshawa. Once North Bay’s postseason run ends, Ride will be eligible to join AHL Henderson if the Silver Knights are still playing at that time.
Golden Knights To Activate Mark Stone
The Vegas Golden Knights will have their captain back tonight. According to Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Golden Knights will activate Mark Stone from the injured reserve ahead of tonight’s contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he’ll make his return to the lineup.
Stone is only one week removed from being placed on the injured reserve, although it was made retroactive to March 1st. He has been managing an upper-body injury, his second of the season, that has affected his games played.
The 33-year-old winger has been exceptional for Vegas this year when healthy. Despite missing 22 games due to injury, Stone remains third on the team in scoring with 21 goals and 60 points with a +17 rating. Given how the team has been playing lately, they could certainly use a boost to the lineup.
Since returning from the Olympics, the Golden Knights have managed a 2-6-0 record, dropping to third place in the Pacific Division. During that stretch, the team has only managed 2.38 GF/G, meaning an influx of offense from Stone will be welcomed.
Assuming Stone can remain healthy for Vegas’ 17 remaining games in the 2025-26 season, he should help the team capture its fifth Pacific Division title. At the time of writing, the Golden Knights are three points back of the Anaheim Ducks and tied with the Edmonton Oilers, although the Oilers have the edge in a tiebreaker.
Still, even if Vegas is unable to finish atop the Pacific Division, they shouldn’t be in any danger of falling out of the postseason conversation. Despite their recent performance, the team holds a five-point lead over the Los Angeles Kings, along with five additional wins in regulation.
Golden Knights Have To Wait To Extend Rasmus Andersson
- In the same article, LeBrun touched on the situation between the Vegas Golden Knights and defenseman Rasmus Andersson. The Golden Knights had been connected to Andersson for a few years before acquiring him in mid-January, and many believed an extension would be signed relatively quickly. However, no new contract has been signed yet. Regardless, LeBrun indicated that the only reason an extension hasn’t been signed is that Vegas isn’t allowed to do so, yet. They only have $3.2MM projected in cap space for the summer and won’t be able to register a new deal for Andersson until they put Alex Pietrangelo‘s $8.8MM salary back on LTIR when they’re eligible to.
[SOURCE LINK]
- In the same article, LeBrun touched on the situation between the Vegas Golden Knights and defenseman Rasmus Andersson. The Golden Knights had been connected to Andersson for a few years before acquiring him in mid-January, and many believed an extension would be signed relatively quickly. However, no new contract has been signed yet. Regardless, LeBrun indicated that the only reason an extension hasn’t been signed is that Vegas isn’t allowed to do so, yet. They only have $3.2MM projected in cap space for the summer and won’t be able to register a new deal for Andersson until they put Alex Pietrangelo‘s $8.8MM salary back on LTIR when they’re eligible to.
Vegas Golden Knights Injury Updates
- Per Jason R. Pothier and Ken Boehlke of SinBin, General Manager Kelly McCrimmon provided a few updates on several key injuries to the Vegas Golden Knights. Regarding the forward corps, McCrimmon said the team only expects captain Mark Stone to miss the next few days. Additionally, the Golden Knights haven’t placed forward William Karlsson on season-ending long-term injured reserve, but will have to make it to the semifinals if they want to see him again this season. Lastly, McCrimmon added that netminder Carter Hart is still a few weeks away from returning.
[SOURCE LINK]
- Per Jason R. Pothier and Ken Boehlke of SinBin, General Manager Kelly McCrimmon provided a few updates on several key injuries to the Vegas Golden Knights. Regarding the forward corps, McCrimmon said the team only expects captain Mark Stone to miss the next few days. Additionally, the Golden Knights haven’t placed forward William Karlsson on season-ending long-term injured reserve, but will have to make it to the semifinals if they want to see him again this season. Lastly, McCrimmon added that netminder Carter Hart is still a few weeks away from returning.
Golden Knights To Activate Brett Howden From LTIR
The Golden Knights will see forward Brett Howden return to the lineup tomorrow against the Oilers, general manager Kelly McCrimmon told the media last night (via Sin Bin Vegas). The team still has an ample LTIR pool without him, with Alex Pietrangelo, William Karlsson, and Carter Hart all on there, so they won’t need to make a corresponding move for cap purposes.
Howden, a natural center, has primarily shifted over to the left wing during his time in Vegas. That’s changed this year, with the 27-year-old seeing more significant deployment at center in the top nine – usually between either Mark Stone and Mitch Marner or Brandon Saad and Reilly Smith. He’s likely to return down the middle after injuries to him and Karlsson have forced the Knights to make some uncomfortable deployment decisions, including shifting Marner over to serve as their second-line pivot, although they addressed that depth deficiency somewhat by picking up Nic Dowd from the Capitals before the trade deadline.
The increased responsibility in the center slot has come with fairly good results. Few expected Howden to be able to replicate his 23-goal, 40-point breakout from last season. He’d been a career 20-point guy up to that stage. His offense has regressed, sure, but maybe not as much as expected. He still churned out a 9-6–15 scoring line in 39 games before landing on the shelf with a lower-body issue back in January. He’s still averaging nearly 15 minutes per game, winning 50.6% of his draws with a -4 rating, while still having one of the better offensive showings of his eight-year career.
Howden, at 1.69 hits per game, is also one of Vegas’ more physical checking forwards. He doesn’t see a ton of penalty kill time, and certainly won’t see any more after Vegas acquired shorthanded workhorse Cole Smith from Nashville this week, but is a welcomed two-way presence lower in the lineup who should allow Marner to shift back to his natural position and lighten the load on supplemental pieces like Saad, Smith, and Keegan Kolesar, who have had to slot into Vegas’ top nine with him, Karlsson, and now Stone sidelined.