May 26, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights and primary owner of the Vegas Golden Knights Bill Foley are presented with the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl by Deputy commissioner of the NHL Bill Daly after winning against the Colorado Avalanchein game four of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
May 26, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights and primary owner of the Vegas Golden Knights Bill Foley are presented with the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl by Deputy commissioner of the NHL Bill Daly after winning against the Colorado Avalanchein game four of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Since Bruce Cassidy was fired with eight games left in the regular season, the Vegas Golden Knights' coaching situation has been unsettled. Now, as the decision of having a permanent coach is taking shape for them, the answer is already inside the organisation.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported on his 32 Thoughts podcast that the belief around the Vegas Golden Knights is they will hire Ryan Craig as their next head coach. Ryan is currently the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.
"The belief here is that they're gonna hire Ryan Craig, who was their coach at AHL Henderson," Friedman said.
Craig is not an unfamiliar name inside the Golden Knights organisation. He joined Vegas as an assistant coach in their inaugural 2017-18 season.
He then spent six years behind the NHL bench, including the 2022-23 Stanley Cup championship team, before being named Henderson's head coach in June 2023.
Craig has spent the entirety of his coaching career within the Golden Knights system.
Ryan Craig's AHL Head Coaching Breakthrough Validates Golden Knights Promotion
In what could be his last season running the Henderson, the team went 8-1-1 in a 10-game stretch in early 2026. The team climbed to third in the AHL's Pacific Division with 90 points.
They also pushed into the Calder Cup playoff race after missing the postseason entirely the year before.
The improvement was built around developing top Golden Knights prospects, including Carl Lindbom and Braeden Bowman.
The promotion would represent a significant leap for Craig. He would be taking over a roster that finished 39-26-17 in 2025-26, led by Jack Eichel's 90 points.
Moreover, he would also be following not one but two Stanley Cup-winning coaches in Cassidy and Tortorella.
But Craig would be ready for the role due to his knowledge about the players and culture of the team. He has spent nearly a decade in this system, coached prospects who are now NHL contributors. He understands the culture Kelly McCrimmon has built from the inside.
However, the only case against him is that one strong AHL season is a limited sample size for an NHL head coaching job of this magnitude.
Do you feel Craig is ready for the Vegas Golden Knights job? Let us know in the comments.
Written by
Koushik Biswas
Edited by
Koushik Biswas