When John Tortorella spoke to The Athletic about his NHL future, it's safe to say that he was greatly disappointed in not coming back to coach the Vegas Golden Knights. He wanted another crack at the title of head coach and saw his boys rally behind him. Alas, it wasn't meant to be, as Kelly McCrimmon essentially told him, "no bueno."
"I guess the word I'd use is 'disappointed. I was honest with Kelly. We met the next morning [after Game 6]. ... Kelly is very honest, and he let me know within one minute of sitting down in that meeting -- he basically told me, 'Ryan Craig is coaching the team next year.' I told him what I thought, and we had an honest conversation. I truly respect where the organization is going."John Tortorella to The Athletic
On one hand, you have a man who led the Golden Knights to a 7-0-1 finish down the stretch and secured a Pacific Division title. On top of that, the Golden Knights made the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in franchise history. That should be enough to bring back the head coach for another stint.
However, there are some underlying issues with bringing him along for the long term. You've seen what has happened in past stints that would remind the players of the coach before him. But it stems beyond that issue itself.
Why the Vegas Golden Knights weren't going to hold onto John Tortorella for the long term
Let me be honest for a second. John Tortorella would've been good for another year. He had the locker room in his corner and was the spark plug the team desperately needed. After all, Ryan Craig could stand to wait another year with the Henderson Silver Knights, right? Well...
Here's the thing, dear reader. Craig brought a familiarity to the organization that Tortorella never had. Being a Golden Knights assistant coach and sticking around with the organization since the inaugural season was an unprecedented advantage that McCrimmon saw. As a result, the general manager went with the Silver Knights head coach.
Plus, Craig wasn't involved in any controversies or fiascos as a Silver Knights head coach or a Golden Knights assistant coach. Losing a second-round pick because you didn't speak to the media doesn't sound like much. However, it gave McCrimmon a little push in getting more draft picks during the summer.
The Golden Knights are steering towards the long-term direction with Craig at the head coaching helm. The team has its core locked in and ar also bringing in younger players. Having a notorious hothead stick around for the long-term would've led the Golden Knights to a similar situation that they were in with Bruce Cassidy.
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