Coming up short won't sit well with Knights' management

LAS VEGAS — Come October, they’ll hang two banners from the rafters at T-Mobile Arena. One will be for winning the Pacific Division, the other for winning the Western Conference.

But the one banner the Vegas Golden Knights really wanted? That one will hang in the Lenovo Center in Raleigh.

That would be the Stanley Cup championship banner and it belongs to the Carolina Hurricanes, who suffocated the Knights over the second half of the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final that only went six and resulted in the Canes’ first title since 2006 after they put an exclamation point on the Final with an impressive 3-0 shutout Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.

When Rod Brind’Amour went to Brandon Bussi in the third period of Game 3 with his team trailing 4-0, it was the turning point of the series. From that moment on, Carolina outscored Vegas 16-6 and would win three straight to capture the Cup.

Bussi was virtually impenetrable in the Carolina net, outplaying Carter Hart decisively. His third-period save on Jack Eichel after losing his stick during a Vegas power play where he slid across his crease and made the stop when it appeared No. 9 had him dead to rights personified the Carolina comeback in the series.

And while the Knights finally slowed down Jordan Staal, the damage had been done with six tallies in five games. Little wonder he was the recipient of the Conn Smythe Trophy that goes to the MVP of the playoffs.

So what happened? How did Vegas lose control of the Final and ultimately lose the series?

It starts in goal. Hart played as well if not better than Frederik Andersen, but not nearly as good as Bussi. He played the entire playoffs for Vegas. Adin Hill, he of the $6.1 million contract,  never saw the ice and perhaps some fatigue set in with Hart late in the series.

John Tortorella had deemed Hart to be his guy and he went down with the ship, staying loyal to his goalie from their days in Philadelphia. Perhaps going to Hill in the third period of Game 5 might have sparked the Knights. But we’ll never know.

Defensively, there were too many mistakes. Too many pinches that led to odd-man rushes. Taylor Hall’s goal in the first period Sunday was indicative of it as Rasmus Andersson was caught up ice and Hall ripped one over Hart’s glove and in for what would be the game- and Cup-winner.

Noah Hanifin struggled as well,. So did Kaedan Korczak, who drew in for Dylan Coghlan. Against a team that can transition out of its end as effectively as Carolina can, that was an issue for the Knights’ blueliners. Brayden McNabb bravely soldiered on after taking a puck to the face in Game 2 but he wasn’t nearly as effective as he had been earlier in the postseason.

Up front, too many missed opportunities, be it Eichel, Pavel Dorofeyev, Mitch Marner, Tomas Hertl, you name it. Tortorella tried to shake things up bringing Reilly Smith back for the first time since Game 6 vs. Utah on May 1. He also gave Braeden Bowman a chance, sitting Keegan Kolesar. Neither was able to provide the needed spark to the offense.

The reality? Carolina was the better team going in and it was the better team over the six games. Brind’Amour made his decisions pay off and the Canes earned their victory for the Cup.

“It’s a good hockey team, a well-coached team,” Tortorella said of the Hurricanes. “But we put some good minutes in too. We couldn’t find our way and they did.”

So what happens here? What does general manager Kelly McCrimmon do going forward?

Does he keep Tortorella? Or as has been rumored, does he promote Ryan Craig, the Henderson Silver Knights coach who was on Bruce Cassidy’s staff when Vegas won the Cup in 2023?

“I just like to thank (owner) Bill (Foley), (hockey ops president) George (McPhee) and Kelly for giving mer the opportunity,” Tortorella said afterward. “I feel very fortunate to have gotten to know the players and the organization. It’s a first class organization.

“I’ve said I like to coach. I want to coach. To jump into this opportunity with this team, I feel so fortunate. I had a front row seat for four rounds.”

Tortorella did a very good job in the short-term. Whether he’s the answer long-term, I’m not sure. His guys played hard for him and he restored their overall confidence. But we’ll have to see what shakes out.

Do the Knights resign Andersson who is a pending unrestricted free agent? They gave up popular defenseman Zach Whitecloud to get Andersson from Calgary. He’s probably going to want big money. I’m not sure if Vegas pays to keep him.

And what do they do with Reilly Smith, Cole Smith, Brandon Saad, Colton Sissons, Ben Hutton, Jeremy Lauzon and Coghlan? All are UFAs and how many of those guys will be back?

Pavel Dorofeyev is a restricted free agent. You’d like to think he’ll remain a Golden Knight. But if someone makes him an outlandish offer, would McCrimmon match it?

And while we’re at it, will he finally allow Cassidy to pursue coaching in the NHL again? Los Angeles, Edmonton and Vancouver all have hired coaches. Toronto’s job remains open so perhaps McCrimmon allows Cassidy to talk to John Chayka, the new Leafs GM, about the position.

July 1 isn’t that far away so expect to see some word get out regarding McCrimmon’s plan for the offseason. But it’s a safe bet that when you come this close and you down’t get to grab the shiny silver chalice, you’re going to see changes. Lots of them.

Yes, it’s amazing to think what the organization has accomplished. Three Stanley Cup appearances, including the 2023 championship in a nine-year span simply doesn’t happen in today’s world of salary caps, free agency and other monetary considerations.

Yet Foley, McPhee and McCrimmon aren’t in this for being runners-up. For them it’s about titles and when you come up short, as was the case this time around, you can fully expect things to change, be they behind the bench or on the ice. That’s the way things are done around here.

So as compelling as this Stanley Cup Final was, and it certainly had its memorable moments, only one team gets to be happy in the end. And it has to be hard watching the team that beat you skate around in your building with the championship trophy.

It’ll be back to the drawing board for McCrimmon and the Knights as they try to make the necessary adjustments so a year from now, they’re the ones doing the celebrating.