John Tortorella wanted to come back. There was a strong argument to run it back for at least one more year.
But Kelly McCrimmon decided to look toward not just the present of the Vegas Golden Knights, but the future, with the team naming Ryan Craig the fifth coach in Knights history on Wednesday.
McCrimmon said Wednesday was not the day to get further into detail. That will come on Thursday when Craig is introduced as the team’s coach heading into Year 10 of the franchise.
“I had pretty strong feelings of where I think our organization needs to go next,” McCrimmon said. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”
McCrimmon met with Tortorella on Monday morning, the day after the Knights lost the Stanley Cup to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 at T-Mobile Arena.
Tortorella, 67, made it clear he still wanted to coach and felt another year with the Knights was warranted after a run where the team went 21-6-1 in less than three months when he was hired on March 29.
“For what we were looking for (at the time of the coaching change), I remember saying to you guys, we needed a jolt, or whatever the phrase is you want to refer it as,” McCrimmon said. “John was that guy that we thought was the best candidate to do that, and that’s exactly what he did.”
Tortorella’s contract expires on June 30. McCrimmon said he has let the other teams know that Tortorella is available for their head coaching positions if they’d like to talk to him.
“With just his legacy and reputation, I think this was the best team that John’s had in many years,” McCrimmon said. “We talked internally before he got here that it’s going to be different here for Torts because it’s the best team he’s worked with and it’s going to allow him to just have so many positive traits that he could share with our players.
“I think that’s where you really saw the momentum as he spent time with our guys. I think you could really see it and feel it.”
But it’s clear McCrimmon felt a full refresh was needed by bringing in Craig, who has been with the organization since its inception in 2017.
Craig spent six seasons as an assistant coach and was part of the Knights’ championship team in 2023. He was named coach of the Silver Knights two weeks after the title run.
Craig, 44, led the Silver Knights to the Calder Cup Playoffs this past season. Henderson swept the San Jose Barracuda in the first round, but then lost in the second round to the Colorado Eagles in four games.
Missed opportunity
Craig is joining a team he’s familiar with, but one that was on the doorstep of a second Stanley Cup championship in four years.
While McCrimmon commended the Hurricanes from winning three straight games after trailing the series 2-1, he felt the Knights were the better team.
“We’re extremely disappointed we didn’t finish the series as champions,” McCrimmon said. “I tip my hat to the Carolina Hurricanes organization, but I really felt strongly that our team was the best team.”
McCrimmon pointed to numerous close calls the Knights had — Ivan Barbashev’s go-ahead goal that was waived off in Game 2, where the Knights had a 2-0 lead going into the third period, was a prime example.
Mitch Marner had a shot ring off the crossbar early in the third before Carolina made its comeback.
“If you come out of Carolina with two wins, boy, it’s a much different series,” McCrimmon said.
The same can be said in Game 4. Jack Eichel hit the crossbar in a tie game in the third period. Eichel did it again in Game 6 as the Knights tried to save their season.
If certain moments change, McCrimmon said, maybe the Knights are celebrating, rather than figuring out what could’ve been.
“There’s different things that go on in the course of a series where they have a big impact,” McCrimmon said. “Any of those (situations) go our way, it completely changes the series.
“I loved our team. I loved that matchup going into the Final. I felt really, really strong about it.”
Cassidy conundrum
The season coming to an end would seem to open the door for Bruce Cassidy to find his next coaching gig.
According to McCrimmon, that opportunity was missed for one unnamed team.
A team received permission to interview Cassidy midway through the playoffs, but that “did not come to fruition,” McCrimmon said.
McCrimmon said permission for Cassidy will be handled on a case-by-case basis moving forward.
Cassidy was fired March 29 with one year remaining on his contract. Cassidy, who coached the Knights to their lone championship in 2023, has said he’s eager to getting back to coaching.
The Edmonton Oilers, who were one of the teams denied permission to speak to Cassidy, have the only coaching vacancy left. Edmonton is interviewing Mike Babcock to fill that void.
The Toronto Maple Leafs hired former Los Angeles Kings coach Jim Hiller on Wednesday.
Injuries pile up
McCrimmon said center William Karlsson will have offseason surgery for the broken wrist he suffered in Game 5.
Karlsson left in the second period after being drilled into the boards by Carolina defenseman Sean Walker. It was a 1-1 game at the time Karlsson left. The Hurricanes scored three unanswered goals.
Defenseman Noah Hanifin played through an upper-body injury that would have kept him out six to eight weeks during the regular season.
On top of the puck hitting his nose that required up to 30 stitches, defenseman Brayden McNabb also played through two other injuries that would have kept him out during the season.
“Which is just a testament to the warrior that he is for our organization,” McCrimmon said.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
