Vegas Golden Knights interim head coach John Tortorella will not be returning to Vegas next year, as the team has decided to let him go.

When the Golden Knights hired Tortorella in March after firing former head coach Bruce Cassidy with just eight games to go in the regular season, they made it clear that he was an interim head coach with no guarantee of returning next season.

But after the Golden Knights went 7-0-1 during his eight-regular season games, and then made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, there was a thought that Vegas might re-sign Tortorella and bring him back as the team’s head coach next year.

Unfortunately for Tortorella, who wanted to come back, that won’t be the case.

Vegas Moving on From John Tortorella

On Tuesday, the Golden Knights announced that Tortorella will not be back as the team’s head coach next season, as they have decided not to remove the interim tag. Instead, Tortorella will immediately become one of the hottest free-agent coaches on the open market.

“We thank Torts for the guidance he provided our team since joining the organization in March. When the decision was made to bring Torts to Vegas, we needed an immediate impact to help us at a pivotal point in the season. Torts’ experience and leadership proved to be the boost that we were looking for, helping guide us to the Stanley Cup Final. We are grateful for Torts’ passion, sincerity, and commitment to our organization, and we wish him and his family the best,” said Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon in a statement.

John Tortorella’s Cinderella Run in Vegas Meets an End

With this news, it ends Tortorella’s Cinderella run with the Golden Knights.

Not much was expected of this team when it hired him in March, but the team responded immediately to the coaching change, as they did not lose a game in regulation with Tortorella behind the bench. Their late-season surge allowed Vegas to overtake the Edmonton Oilers and win the Pacific Division by two points.

The Golden Knights then played amazing hockey during the postseason, first beating the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks in the first two rounds before sweeping the Stanley Cup favorites, the Colorado Avalanche, in the Western Conference Finals.

Ultimately, Vegas lost in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Finals, and although Tortorella did a great job in Vegas, the fact that they came up short for the cup ended up costing him his job. For Vegas, anything less than a cup victory was not good enough.

Vegas immediately becomes the third team with a head-coaching vacancy alongside the Oilers and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

There are strong rumors linking Vegas to Henderson Silver Knights head coach Ryan Craig, as he has been tabbed to coach the big-league club for several years now. With Tortorella out, look for the Golden Knights to do their homework on their next head coaching hire, but Craig looks like the favorite.

As for Tortorella, don’t be surprised if the Oilers come calling if Mike Babcock doesn’t get NHL clearance to become their next head coach.