Vegas Golden Knights fire coach Peter DeBoer after missing playoffs for first time

The Vegas Golden Knights have fired coach Peter DeBoer after failing to make the playoffs for the first time in their short history.

«We would like to thank Pete DeBoer for his commitment to the Vegas Golden Knights over the past three seasons,» said Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon in a statement. «Since joining the organization, Pete and his staff have guided us through some of the most unique and challenging circumstances we've witnessed since our franchise entered the NHL. After lengthy discussions over the last two weeks, we believe that a new coach will put us in the best position to succeed next season.»

DeBoer was the second coach hired by Vegas in 2019-20, after coach Gerard Gallant was behind the bench for the team's first two seasons in the NHL. DeBoer had a record of 98-50-12 in his three seasons in Vegas, leading the Golden Knights to the conference final in 2020 and the playoffs' penultimate round in 2021, but failing to make the Stanley Cup Final in both seasons.

This season, the Golden Knights struggled through injuries and salary cap-related lineup challenges to finish with a 43-31-8 (94 points) record, missing the playoff cut by four points. They had a late-season stretch that saw the Knights get one win in six critical games, including a shootout loss at the Dallas Stars that acted as a de facto playoff game.

Vegas made the Stanley Cup Final in its first season in the NHL, losing to the Washington Capitals in 2018. Owner Bill Foley has been aggressively adding veteran talent since then in the hopes of winning that elusive championship. The Knights have one of the NHL's highest-salaried teams, whose cap number ballooned even larger when they made a blockbuster trade for Buffalo