The Vegas Golden Knights are hiring in-house after opting to not take away John Tortorella’s interim tag.
Vegas common supervisor Kelly McCrimmon introduced Wednesday that the crew has employed Ryan Craig as its subsequent head coach. He is fairly conversant in the organization.
Former Golden Knights HC Gerard Gallant employed Craig, 44, as an assistant shortly earlier than the crew’s inaugural 2017-18 season. He remained in that position underneath three completely different HCs — Gallant, Pete DeBoer and Bruce Cassidy — for six seasons. After Vegas gained the Stanley Cup through the 2022-23 season, the Henderson Silver Knights (the crew’s AHL affiliate) employed Craig as HC.
So, Craig is plugged into the group, however does that imply he is suited to interchange a way more skilled coach in Tortorella?
Is changing John Tortorella with Ryan Craig the precise transfer for the Golden Knights?
Sure, a few of Tortorella’s decisions price the Golden Knights of their Stanley Cup Last loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. He refused to bench goalie Carter Hart, an enormous mistake. In six video games within the best-of-seven sequence, Hart posted a poor .863 save proportion.
His frigid relationship with the media additionally price the crew future draft capital. The NHL compelled the Golden Knights to relinquish a 2026 second-round choose after he skipped a postgame information convention through the crew’s second-round matchup in opposition to the Anaheim Ducks.
Vegas, nevertheless, might have by no means reached the Stanley Cup Last with out Tortorella. He assumed head-coaching duties after the crew fired Cassidy following a 32-26-16 begin. It instantly improved.
The Golden Knights completed the common season 7-0-1 underneath Tortorella. They went 14-8 within the postseason, which included a sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche within the Western Convention Last.
Maybe if Vegas did promote Tortorella, who turns 68 on June 24, he would lead the Golden Knights again to the championship sequence and win his second Stanley Cup. As an alternative, they will flip to Craig, who did not publish a very spectacular report within the AHL.
He went 96-95-25 with the Silver Knights. This previous season, the crew posted a 39-21-12 report, snapping a four-year playoff drought. It misplaced to the Colorado Eagles in 4 video games within the second spherical of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Craig’s stepping right into a a lot better scenario within the NHL. He is being handed the keys to a Stanley Cup contender, which options proper winger Mitch Marner and middle Jack Eichel.
That mentioned, this creates excessive expectations for the rookie HC. If he fails to satisfy them, Vegas would marvel if it ought to’ve caught with Tortorella or employed one other seasoned HC.
