Vegas Golden Knights Head Coach Peter DeBoer calls out during an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings at T-Mobile Arena Saturday, March 19, 2022.
Tuesday, May 17, 2022 | 2 a.m.
When you fire a coach who led a franchise to a pair of trips to the conference finals and won more than 60% of his games, the change has to be for the better. You have to get it right.
That’s the pressure placed on Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon and president of hockey operations George McPhee after they fired coach Pete DeBoer on Monday.
The Golden Knights have gone through two coaches in five years, opting to hit the reset button by parting ways with DeBoer, who went 120-67-12 combined between three regular seasons and two playoff appearances.
“You do what you believe in your heart to be the right thing,” McCrimmon said. “That’s usually not the easiest thing. I really felt there was an opportunity here to help our team with a change there.
“We’ve talked openly about the impact that the injuries had on our season. It’s about starting with a fresh voice. It’s about starting with a re-energized team. It’s about having a group of players with something to prove, and that’s something I want to take into next season. This was part of that.”
DeBoer replaced Gerard Gallant on Jan. 15, 2020, after a four-game losing streak and because McCrimmon felt DeBoer could “push the right buttons” come playoff time.
DeBoer took over during the early stages of the pandemic and coached the Golden Knights to the Western Conference Finals in an Edmonton bubble in 2020, before ultimately falling to the Dallas Stars in five games.
The next season, with a shorter offseason and minimal training camp, the Golden Knights tied the Colorado Avalanche for the most points in the league during a 56-game, COVID-shortened season. Vegas eliminated Colorado in six games in the second round but lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup semifinals.
McCrimmon said the amount of hockey played over the past three seasons was an indicator of fatigue settling in down the stretch of this season.
However, he said the decision to move on from DeBoer was more of a reflection on next season, not this past one.
“We missed the playoffs, which is humbling for a team no matter what the reasons were for how that happened,” he said. “As we went through it, I thought we could enhance that by having a new voice leading our team into next season.”
Ultimately, the right buttons weren’t pushed from an on-ice standpoint. The Golden Knights went 0-for-15 on the power play in the Montreal series, and the power play this season finished 25th in the league at 18.4%, despite featuring star players such as Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Jack Eichel and Alex Pietrangelo. The next coach must address that.
But DeBoer’s dismissal also raises questions about the continuity of the organization — one that has seen ample amounts of success but has not been shy of making bold moves.
The Golden Knights are about to hire their third coach in six seasons. Some of the worst teams in the league have stuck with their coaches longer.
Jeff Blashill was just fired after seven consecutive losing seasons in Detroit. Rick Tocchet lasted four seasons in Arizona and made the playoffs once before being let go. Among fired coaches who enjoyed more consistent success, Peter Laviolette spent six seasons in Nashville, came within two wins of the Stanley Cup in 2017, and made the playoffs five straight years before being fired.
Sheldon Keefe has coached Toronto to two postseason trips and a qualifying round series in the Toronto bubble in 2020, and has not gotten the Maple Leafs past the first round.
“All of these decisions reflect on us,” McCrimmon said. “I’m proud to stand behind them. I don’t have any trouble looking into the mirror with the decisions we make or things we do. I’m not above any of that, but … I believe we’re doing the right thing. I believe it’s the right decision. And when you believe that and you don’t act on that, it’s poor management.”
Whoever replaces DeBoer is going to be expected to at least get back to the Stanley Cup Final, or win it all, in his first year. Given the talent on this roster, that’s an understandable goal.
But the Golden Knights won’t be carrying this same roster into next season. They have only 18 players committed to next season but are $500,000 over the salary cap. They will need to make some tough personnel decisions in order to become cap compliant, as well as retain their restricted free agents.
McCrimmon said they’re looking at all available options for the replacement. While he did not comment on a specific name, it’s likely that Barry Trotz will be at the top of that list. Tocchet, a current analyst on TNT, may also be considered.
“We’re not pigeonholing ourselves into one category,” McCrimmon said. “We’ll look at the candidates. I don’t know at this point.”
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
