It's no secret that John Tortorella has been what the doctor ordered for the Vegas Golden Knights. After all, the team is heading to the Western Conference Final to face the Colorado Avalanche. However, there could be a new face behind Vegas's bench next season: Ryan Craig.
"Ryan Craig could be the next head coach of the Golden Knights, let's see how things play out; they're going to the Conference Final with John Tortorella, so maybe he's earned a longer tenure."Darren Dreger on First Up
Of course, that hinges on how much longer Tortorella's team goes in the Stanley Cup playoffs. But Craig could be the next bench boss after Tortorella's Vegas residency. After all, he had a successful Silver Knights tenure where the AHL team finished third in the Pacific Division.
Sure, they got eliminated in the second round. However, the Silver Knights weren't expected to do much this past season. That should earn a badge of honor from the masses and an eventual coaching job with the Golden Knights.
But here's where things get complicated. A more experienced head coach who's getting the most from his players could get the right of way here. That's especially true if Vegas gets to the Stanley Cup Final and *GASP* wins it all. Can you imagine the Golden Knights having to go with Craig instead of the hot hand in Tortorella?
The Vegas Golden Knights must stick with John Tortorella instead of going with Henderson Silver Knights head coach Ryan Craig
Yes, I know that Tortorella isn't exactly the coolest head in the world. His recent media fiasco after Game 6 is a prime example of this. However, it's better to go with a proven commodity that's won the Stanley Cup rather than a complete unknown.
Let's take the goaltending as a prime example. Once the laughingstock of the organization, the Golden Knights have a team save percentage of .917 since Tortorella took over. During that span, they've gone 15-4-1, winning the Pacific Division and heading to the Western Conference Final in the process.
One can also point to Mitch Marner's playoff emergence as a perfect example. Suddenly, the Canadian Olympian leads the NHL in playoff points with 18. Now, he's silencing his most vocal critics and is leading the Golden Knights closer to a Stanley Cup. All of this comes from having Tortorella unleash his talents and become a more proactive goal scorer for Vegas.
While Craig does have six years of assistant head coach experience with the Golden Knights and the Silver Knights were successful, the overall AHL tenure hasn't been as such. It's easy to forget that Henderson finished in last place in the Pacific Division before 2025-26. That was also the case in 2023-24, when the Silver Knights had 64 points and finished eighth in the Pacific Division.
You also can't forget that the NHL is vastly different from the AHL. Yes, some people will raise a stink about the speed of the game being different as an overcliched trope. But it remains true, especially when you have a group primarily consisting of veterans. In turn, the head coaching advantage goes to the seasoned veteran (i.e., Tortorella).
Consider how Tortorella has let his own veterans figure things out on the ice. That's led to great things, such as comebacks (see Games 4 and 5 against the Utah Mammoth) and dominating performances (see Game 6 against the Anaheim Ducks). While it's not the most viable long-term solution, the Golden Knights have never been one to be stuck in longer periods of mediocrity. That should be the case once the season ends.
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