Golden Knights’ vision for success remains clear after hiring Craig as coach

John Tortorella is out. Ryan Craig is in.

The Vegas Golden Knights already have made another coaching change after losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday.

It might seem surprising that they would part with a veteran coach who turned around their season and brought them within two wins of another championship, especially to hire someone with no NHL head coaching experience.

But don’t they deserve the benefit of the doubt?

General manager Kelly McCrimmon was asked Wednesday about a nationwide poll that said Vegas was the most hated team among fans.

“For me, it’s jealousy,” McCrimmon said. “People are uncomfortable admitting that we’ve done a hell of a job.”

Vegas has become known for making bold moves -- some surprising, some unpopular, some both at the same time -- and winning.

Since entering the NHL as an expansion team in 2017-18, the Golden Knights have won 401 games in the regular season, fifth in the NHL, and 76 games and 15 series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, more than any other team. They made the Cup Final in their inaugural season, won the Cup in 2023 and returned to the Cup Final again this season.

“I think people have a hard time explaining why we win as much as we do,” McCrimmon said. “We’ve been in the Stanley Cup Final three times in nine years, and it’s interesting. We went in 2018, 2023, 2026, and what that tells you is, that’s three completely different teams. It’s not like we went three times in four years with 90 percent of our nucleus remaining over the same period of time.”

The Golden Knights have turned over their roster significantly and changed coaches at key points along the way. They shocked the hockey world when they replaced Bruce Cassidy, the coach who led them to the Cup in 2023, with Tortorella with eight games to go in the 2025-26 regular season.

Well, how’d that work out?

They went 21-8-1 under Tortorella -- 7-0-1 in the regular season, 14-8 in the playoffs.

Tortorella was the right coach at the right time. The Golden Knights had been fading, going 5-10-2 after the Olympic break, including 1-5-2 in their last eight games. The 67-year-old brought their swagger back and almost took them all the way.

“He saved our season,” McCrimmon said.

McCrimmon made it clear Tortorella wanted to come back to Vegas, but the Golden Knights already had their eye on Craig.

The 44-year-old played for Brandon of the Western Hockey League from 1998-2003, when McCrimmon was owner and GM. He has been with the Vegas organization from the start -- the first six seasons as an assistant in the NHL, the past three as coach of Henderson of the American Hockey League.

Craig played 198 games in the NHL as a center from 2005-15. Tortorella coached him with the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2005-08 and coached the Columbus Blue Jackets when he was in that organization from 2015-17.

“He’s got the same opinion of Ryan Craig that most people do,” McCrimmon said. “I know he was disappointed, because he did want to coach our team next year. But I know also he’s got a lot of regard for Ryan and a lot of respect for the organization. He really enjoyed his time here.”

Why didn’t Vegas go straight from Cassidy to Craig?

“I don’t think it would have been fair to Ryan Craig to start his career as a coach that way,” McCrimmon said.

Craig will start fresh next season. There will be pressure to win, but Craig will have the pieces to do it.

The Golden Knights have a core that includes Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl, William Karlsson, Ivan Barbashev, Brett Howden, Shea Theodore, Noah Hanifin and Brayden McNabb.

“We’ve got a great nucleus,” McCrimmon said. “We’ve got great leadership. We’ve got great character.”

And then?

“We’ll continue doing what we always do,” McCrimmon said.

That means they will continue trying to improve the team constantly.

“I really like our team,” McCrimmon said. “It’s going to look different, which it does every year. That’s our business. But we, I think, over time have always had a real good understanding of what the team needs to look like in order to have a chance to win.”

McCrimmon talked about how owner Bill Foley has given the Golden Knights all the resources they need to be successful. Vegas has become a destination -- and not because of the warm weather or the glitz of the Strip or the lack of state income tax in Nevada.

“First and foremost, people come here because we try to win,” McCrimmon said. “They like being on teams that try to win. There are players in the NHL that are on teams that I don’t think the players are confident the team will win. That’s how I see it. I’m not going to apologize for it. …

“You’re darn right we’re proud of what the organization has done.”