Golden Knights, Ryan Craig Agree to HC Contract to Replace Tortorella After Stanley Cup Final Loss
Former AHL head coach Ryan Craig will be tasked with helping the Vegas Golden Knights seek redemption from losing the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.
The Golden Knights announced Wednesday that Craig will succeed John Tortorella and Bruce Cassidy as the franchise's next head coach.
This marks the first NHL head coaching position for Craig, who has spent the entirety of his coaching career with the Golden Knights organization.
Craig was named assistant coach ahead of the Golden Knights' inaugural 2017-18 season and served in that role during the team's run to the 2023 Stanley Cup.
He was hired as head coach of the franchise's AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
The Silver Knights made the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time in four seasons this spring, although the team was eliminated from the second round by the Colorado Eagles.
Craig will now hope his experience with the organization and his years of working with the team's top prospects will put him into position to help guide Vegas to more playoff success in the immediate future.
He will return to Las Vegas after a tumultuous 2025-26 season that saw the the Golden Knights replace Cassidy with Tortorella just before the postseason, only to part ways with Tortorella shortly after losing Game 6 of the Final to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Golden Knights were at risk of missing the playoffs when they made the surprising decision to fire Cassidy on March 30.
Cassidy, who led the team to a championship in 2023, was in his fourth season with the franchise. He left Vegas having coached the Golden Knights to a 320-178-99 regular-season record.
Tortorella stepped in as Cassidy's replacement and led the Knights to a 6-0-1 finish to the regular season that helped the team clinch the Pacific Division title.
The Golden Knights made it to the Western Conference Finals by defeating the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks in six games each, then swept the Colorado Avalanche to make the franchise's third Cup Final appearance in nine years of existence.
Shortly after the Hurricanes ended the Golden Knights' hopes of a second Cup, the team announced that Tortorella would not be returning for another season.
The Golden Knights have their core of Jake Eichel, Mitch Marner, Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin in place for the long term, but the franchise is potentially set for significant turnover after falling two wins short of a title.
Captain Mark Stone, star center William Karlsson and playoff starter Carter Hart are heading into next season on expiring contracts, while players including Rasmus Andersson, Colton Sissons and Jeremy Lauzon are pending free agents.
Craig will need to help any new players the Golden Knights bring in this offseason find a fit around the team's returning core in order to help Vegas make a push to return to the Cup Final next spring.
