Ryan Craig has been named the new head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, replacing John Tortorella after a season that ended with the team reaching the Stanley Cup Final. Craig previously spent three seasons coaching the Henderson Silver Knights, where he led
The bench was changing before the season’s emotion had fully cooled.
On Monday, the Vegas Golden Knights promoted Ryan Craig to head coach, replacing John Tortorella behind the bench. The decision comes after a run that left the team as Stanley Cup runners-up. and it marks another sharp turn for a franchise that has now shuffled its leadership multiple times in less than a decade.
Craig, 44, has spent the past three seasons coaching the Golden Knights’ AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. In 2025-26, he led Henderson to a franchise-best regular season. With this promotion, he becomes the fifth coach in Golden Knights franchise history.
Tortorella’s time in charge is now over. He was brought in after former head coach Bruce Cassidy was relieved of duties in March. Tortorella then guided the Golden Knights to their third Cup Final in nine years. The team later confirmed Tuesday that Tortorella would not return as head coach.
At the center of the message from the organization was a straightforward choice about opportunity and direction. General manager Kelly McCrimmon told reporters on Wednesday, “John (Tortorella) wanted to coach our team again, but we wanted to give this opportunity to Ryan Craig.”
Before turning fully to coaching. Craig played 198 NHL games across three organizations: the Tampa Bay Lightning. the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Now. his career path comes full circle in Vegas—moving from developing players in the AHL to steering the NHL team right after another deep postseason.
Vegas Golden Knights Ryan Craig head coach John Tortorella Henderson Silver Knights Bruce Cassidy Kelly McCrimmon Stanley Cup Final AHL coaching