- May 21, 2026
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It’s been a coaching carousel for the Vegas Golden Knights of late. After firing Bruce Cassidy and replacing him with John Tortorella late in the 2025-26 season as a last ditch effort to motivate the team paid off, and saw the team make a run to the Stanley Cup Final, they then moved on from Tortorella, opting to promote AHL head coach Ryan Craig. The move was in the cards for a while, but it made sense to not throw him into the fire that was the end of last season.
So with a fresh face behind the bench, what will Ryan Craig bring to the Golden Knights? Steve Peters broke down what kind of coach Craig is, and the impact he’ll have in Vegas, on Daily Faceoff Live.
Steve Peters: I think it’s going to be a real different voice. You look at the voices that they’ve had, they’re strong personalities. Gallant, DeBoer, Cassidy, they’re strong personalities. Even Tortorella can be that strong personality.
I think with Ryan Craig, it’s more of a, “I’m one of you guys, we’re doing this together. I’m part of you, I’m not that far removed from being a player”. With Ryan Craig, he’s deeply rooted in the organization. He knows the organizational structure. The people, the players. So I think this is going to be more of a battle cry of, “hey, we’re all in this together. I’ve got you guys”.
The only thing I might see a little different with Ryan Craig is his ability to inject younger players into the lineup. He was good in the American Hockey League in Henderson the last few years with the Vegas organization, so he knows they’re young, skilled, talented players. And you usually think of Vegas as that veteran, old team. You might be able to inject some new blood, get some new players, get some new, fresh legs in there.
I think it’s going to be refreshing in Vegas. This is a team that’s still going to be near the top of the Pacific Division. And I’d keep your eye on Ryan Craig. I think it’s going to be a good year in Vegas.
You can watch the full episode here…
Continue reading...
So with a fresh face behind the bench, what will Ryan Craig bring to the Golden Knights? Steve Peters broke down what kind of coach Craig is, and the impact he’ll have in Vegas, on Daily Faceoff Live.
Steve Peters: I think it’s going to be a real different voice. You look at the voices that they’ve had, they’re strong personalities. Gallant, DeBoer, Cassidy, they’re strong personalities. Even Tortorella can be that strong personality.
I think with Ryan Craig, it’s more of a, “I’m one of you guys, we’re doing this together. I’m part of you, I’m not that far removed from being a player”. With Ryan Craig, he’s deeply rooted in the organization. He knows the organizational structure. The people, the players. So I think this is going to be more of a battle cry of, “hey, we’re all in this together. I’ve got you guys”.
The only thing I might see a little different with Ryan Craig is his ability to inject younger players into the lineup. He was good in the American Hockey League in Henderson the last few years with the Vegas organization, so he knows they’re young, skilled, talented players. And you usually think of Vegas as that veteran, old team. You might be able to inject some new blood, get some new players, get some new, fresh legs in there.
I think it’s going to be refreshing in Vegas. This is a team that’s still going to be near the top of the Pacific Division. And I’d keep your eye on Ryan Craig. I think it’s going to be a good year in Vegas.
You can watch the full episode here…
Continue reading...