Golden Knights Move Quick to Hire Head Coach John Tortorella's Replacement

The Vegas Golden Knights surprised many when they announced that head coach John Tortorella wouldn't return next season despite leading the team to the Stanley Cup Final just days ago.

Some believed Vegas would conduct an extensive search to find Tortorella's replacement, but just 24 hours after announcing Tortorella's departure, the Golden Knights named his successor.

"COACH CRAIG ⚔️ Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon has announced Ryan Craig will be the fifth Head Coach in franchise history," the team announced on X.

Craig spent the last three years as head coach of the Henderson Silver Knights, Vegas' American Hockey League affiliate, compiling 96 wins and leading the team to the Calder Cup Playoffs last season.

The 44-year-old Craig was on the Golden Knights staff as an assistant during the team's 2023 Stanley Cup championship, so he's more than familiar with much of the team's nucleus - Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, Mark Stone, Shea Thoedore, and Brayden McNabb.

Craig was an assistant coach for Vegas from 2017 to 2023 before moving onto Henderson.

He'll mark the third different head coach for the Golden Knights in the last six months after the team fired Bruce Cassidy with eight games left in the regular season and replaced him with Tortorella, who led the team through three playoff rounds into the Cup Final.

Craig inherits a Stanley Cup-caliber roster that features Eichel, Karlsson, Stone, Thoedore, Mitch Marner, Tomas Hertl, Pavel Dorofeyev, and Noah Hanifin.

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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 1:53 PM.