John Tortorella was “disappointed” that the Vegas Golden Knights decided to let him go following the Stanley Cup Finals.

Tortorella was hired by Vegas in March on an interim basis to take over after former head coach Bruce Cassidy was fired and provide a jolt to the Golden Knights, who were struggling down the stretch. Under Tortorella’s watch, the Golden Knights went 7-0-1 to finish the regular season and steal the Pacific Division title from the Edmonton Oilers in the season’s final days.

Then, in the playoffs, Tortorella guided the Golden Knights to series wins over the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks in the first two rounds before they swept the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals. That punched Vegas’ ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals, though they ultimately fell short as they lost in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Still, Tortorella did an amazing job, and despite the fact that he was the interim head coach, he was hopeful the team would hire him on a full-time basis. That did not happen, however, as the team announced on Wednesday that Ryan Craig of the Henderson Silver Knights was being promoted to be the Golden Knights’ head coach, leaving Tortorella without a job.

John Tortorella Disappointed Vegas Didn’t Bring Him Back

Speaking to reporters at the Golden Knights’ year-end media availability on Wednesday, Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon confirmed that Tortorella was disappointed the team did not bring him back to be their head coach.

“When we hired John on March 29, we agreed we would talk at the end of the season. (The playoff run) didn’t really impact anything in any real significant way. I met with John on Monday morning at 8:30 and shared with him my thoughts. Interesting, he had Ryan Craig as a player (with the Tampa Bay Lightning). He’s got the same opinion of Ryan Craig that most people do,” McCrimmon said.

“I know he was disappointed because he did want to coach our team. But I know also he’s got a lot of regard for Ryan and a lot of respect for the organization. He really enjoyed his time here. He wanted people to know he wants to keep coaching. I’ve let all 31 NHL teams know that he’s interested in continuing to coach, and if he gets that opportunity, I’d be happy for him.”

Where Could John Tortorella End Up Next?

As far as potential destinations for Tortorella, there is only one current job opening in the NHL right now. That would be the Edmonton Oilers, who are the only team without a head coach at the moment. However, the team is zeroing in on Mike Babcock to be their head coach, though he is currently being investigated by the NHL. If the NHL clears Babcock, he will likely be the Oilers’ head coach. But if they don’t, then Edmonton could call Tortorella up.

Otherwise, Tortorella would have to wait for a job opening among the other clubs in the NHL, so he would have to wait for the season to start and hope one of the other teams fires their coach and creates an opening.

Speculatively speaking, some potential options could be the Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, and Winnipeg Jets. All of these teams have head coaches in place, but if they get off to a slow start next year, these teams could consider circling back to Tortorella.

Despite the Golden Knights not bringing Tortorella back, he proved in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs that he is still one of the top coaches in the NHL, and he deserves a chance to be the full-time coach for a team in this league.