The Vegas Golden Knights promote from within and name Ryan Craig as their head coach

Normally, the Vegas Golden Knights go for seasoned veterans in the head coaching field to lead their team. That ranges from Gerard Gallant to Pete DeBoer to Bruce Cassidy to even John Tortorella. However, Kelly McCrimmon decided to go a different direction and name Henderson Silver Knights head coach Ryan Craig as the new bench boss for three years.

If you don't know Craig, he was the Golden Knights' assistant coach from 2017 to 2023. He won a Stanley Cup during that span and also appeared in another Stanley Cup Final. The former Silver Knights head coach also led Henderson to third place in the Pacific Division this season, making it to the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs.

Meanwhile, John Tortorella wasn't retained by the Golden Knights on Tuesday. That's despite the former Stanley Cup winner leading Vegas to its third Stanley Cup Final in nine seasons, adding a Pacific Division title in the process. Still, the move signals that the Golden Knights are ready to move in a new direction under Craig, particularly with younger players waiting in the wings.

Who benefits the most from having Ryan Craig as the new Vegas Golden Knights head coach?

The first thing that came to mind when seeing Ryan Craig being hired was how much it would help the incoming Silver Knights prospects. Players like Braeden Bowman and Carl Lindbom benefit greatly based on their familiarity with the new Golden Knights head coach. They know his style and strategy from the Silver Knights days, which will make adjusting to the NHL's speed much easier.

You can also say something similar for younger stars like Brett Howden and Pavel Dorofeyev. Yes, they don't have the Silver Knights experience from Craig's coaching days to lean on. But that doesn't mean that they can't benefit. Craig's penchant for working with younger players will pay off here, helping them develop into superstars.

Heck, you can even point to most of the Golden Knights' veterans who were around during his assistant head coaching tenure. Names like Jack Eichel and Mark Stone will be familiar with his game, building off that to become better players.

Was skipping over Tortorella for Craig the right move? In the short term, no. The Golden Knights are in a Stanley Cup contention window and could use someone to get the most from their veteran players. But there's a case that the Golden Knights need to think long-term, especially with some youth coming into the mix. That's why you can't go wrong with Craig in this sense, especially if you want Bowman and Dorofeyev to succeed.

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