It’s the same every year. A season ends and you immediately look forward.
To free agency. To the draft. To how you want to construct your roster for the immediate future.
Even when you lose in a Stanley Cup Final. The train never stops.
And if you’re the Vegas Golden Knights, it’s about continuing what has become commonplace in the organization.
Winning.
They weren’t victorious against Carolina, losing in six to the Hurricanes in a Cup Final.
But that’s over now and no matter how long the sting of defeat might last — we’re talking a lifetime for some intimately involved — the focus is how to return to such a place.
Which means there is much work to be done by general manager Kelly McCrimmon and staff.
A major decision has already been made, as the Knights on Wednesday announced Ryan Craig as their new coach.
He will be introduced on Thursday morning but isn’t in any manner new to the organization.
Grind of a season
Craig has been with the Knights since their arrival nine years ago, first as an assistant and the past three as coach of Henderson from the American Hockey League.
John Tortorella, who replaced the fired Bruce Cassidy with eight games remaining in the regular season and led the Knights to their long playoff run, wasn’t retained.
McCrimmon in his end-of-the-season media address on Wednesday covered this and a multitude of topics.
It was a grind of a season that included eight Knights playing in the Olympics. Most of them who competed in the gold-medal game between the United States and Canada would, including the Stanley Cup playoffs, see action in 110 games this season.
That’s a lot of hockey.
But the general manager also still felt the Knights were totally capable of winning their second Cup. Felt they were the team to do it.
“I thought we played great hockey in the playoffs and was extremely disappointed we weren’t able to finish the (Final) as champions,” McCrimmon said. “I tip my cap to the Carolina Hurricanes organization but really felt strongly our team was the best team. I really liked the makeup of our team over the course of the year. I thought we could play any way you want to play. We’re proud of the effort the guys gave.”
They’re going to keep winning because that’s what they do. They’re going to keep making, for the most part, the correct roster decisions because they rarely fail at such. Pushing the correct buttons is a skill of those doing so.
Because that is what has happened since the outset of this nine-year run.
McCrimmon remembers in July 2016 being asked by then-general manager (and now president of hockey operations) George McPhee to come aboard. The former coach wanted to know just one thing: Would the team supply the resources in order to win? Not every NHL team did so.
A few months later, before the team had even drafted a player, both men had seen enough from owner Bill Foley that they were convinced it would. And it has.
Injuries — all teams have them — affected the regular season and playoffs this year. Things were far too inconsistent en route to a Pacific Division title. But the Knights found themselves at just the right time and stood within two wins of lifting the Cup.
It didn’t happen and for that you can credit Carolina as much as anyone. But the goal never changes in Vegas. The pursuit never ends. The mindset is never altered.
Train never stops
“When we made the (coaching change on March 29), we believed very strongly in our team,” McCrimmon said. “If we didn’t we just would have rode it out. When you look at it through a manager’s eyes, the makeup of your roster is very important in terms of assessing what you think your potential is and what you’re capable of.
“We saw a lot with our team. We have a great nucleus. We have great leadership. We have great character. There’s a lot to go on here. Over the next couple weeks, we’ll continue doing what we always do.”
The train never stops. And for the Golden Knights, that means doing whatever is possible to continue its winning ways.
It’s the same every year.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.
