The Vegas Golden Knights dropped an absolute bombshell on Tuesday morning. I'm talking about a massive explosion that shook the NHL right down to its very core. The Golden Knights announced that John Tortorella wouldn't be returning to the team's coaching staff after the 2025-26 season.
Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon has announced John Tortorella will not return to the team's coaching staff following the 2025-26 season.
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 16, 2026
Press release ➡️ https://t.co/KRK6lB8ZZQ pic.twitter.com/65sGbTZRR2
Yep, you read that right, dear reader. After a 7-0-1 regular season record and a Stanley Cup Final trip, Tortorella will NOT return to the Golden Knights next season. Ironically, he has the team's best points percentage all-time (.938), despite his short head coaching tenure. Second place belongs to Pete DeBoer with a percentage of .650, followed by Bruce Cassidy (.623) and Gerard Gallant (.601).
The move came days after the Golden Knights were eliminated in the Stanley Cup Final in six games by the Carolina Hurricanes. The Golden Knights lost three straight games after winning a double-overtime thriller, watching the Hurricanes (and Jordan Staal) pull away with ease.
Is this a good thing for the Golden Knights? Or did they make a fatal error in judgment regarding the head coach? That's the biggest question surrounding today's bombshell announcement, which will send shockwaves throughout the Golden Knights' future.
Is it the right move for the Golden Knights to not bring back John Tortorella?
Well, that's the complicated part about all of this. Tortorella did right the ship and led Vegas to another Pacific Division title. The veterans loved his blunt style (as Keegan Kolesar can attest to) and went on an absolute heater throughout most of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
While that sounds all rosy and fun, Tortorella does have similar problems to his predecessor, Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy wasn't known for being the friendliest guy in the locker room and it turned off the players. Even with Tortorella's short tenure and his desire to still coach, a longer stay would've led to the same problems experienced during Cassidy's reign.
Still, you can't ignore that the Golden Knights need a seasoned head coach behind the bench. The Golden Knights were one of the league's oldest teams this past season (average age of 30.04, second-highest in the NHL) and have plenty of key guys locked in for the long haul. Think of players like Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner, the latter of whom thrived with Tortorella behind the bench.
The announcement opens the door for the Golden Knights to bring in Ryan Craig as their head coach
In case you haven't heard the rumor mill, Henderson Silver Knights head coach Ryan Craig is one of the favorites for the vacant Golden Knights head coaching position. He brings a familiarity to the organization, starting off as an assistant head coach since the team's inaugural season. In fact, he even won a Stanley Cup in that position.
In theory, it makes perfect sense. Having that organizational familiarity works for the Silver Knights' head coach. The Golden Knights actually have viable talent coming up and that would help further their development. Think of future stars such as Braeden Bowman and Carl Lindbom in this scenario.
In short, today's news paves the way for a familiar face to take the reins. Will it work? It's hard to say, considering that this would be a new challenge for Craig (should he get the role). However, Kelly McCrimmon has been known to throw a curveball or two and knock it out of the park.
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