Is John Tortorella’s success behind the Vegas Golden Knights bench throwing a wrench in their future plans?
NHL Media: Elliotte Friedman, when asked about the Vegas Golden Knights and their coaching future. If John Tortorella guides the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup, do they have to bring him back? He’s only under contract until the end of the year. The Golden Knights may have their future head coach in the AHL.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Kathryn Tappen: “Elliotte, I’m going to start with what we were just chatting about before you came in, and it’s the future of John Tortorella. You know, it’s very interesting to see what he’s done with this group, and what do you know about what his future might be there in Vegas?
Friedman: “You know, Vegas always keeps this stuff very close to the vest, Kathryn. But I do know is that the Golden Knights, their coach in the American Hockey League at Henderson, is Ryan Craig. And Ryan Craig has been in the Vegas system, I think, since the beginning, and he’s got a long history with Kelly McCrimmon. And the reason that one of the reasons they sent him down there was to get bench experience.
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And I do believe that there were, that there are people who think that Ryan Craig was going to be the next head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, whenever Bruce Cassidy was done. Now they decided not to do it here, but there are people who think that he was pencilled in to be their head coach next year. Craig, they got knocked out early in the American playoffs, but people I know who watch the that league much closer than I do said he did a really good job with that team and some of their prospects.
So I can’t say this with 100% certainty, but I think there was possibility that Tortorella was to finish the year, and then Craig took over. But I heard what you guys were talking about, and I don’t disagree. Like, if Tortorella wins the Stanley Cup, then how do you, how do you take them out?
I’ll tell you guys something else. What if you have an open head coaching job right now. And John Tortorella doesn’t have a contract after June 30? Do you wait and see if Vegas is keeping them, because if I had an open job and I was looking at this, I would be saying that guy is far from done, far from done in this league.”
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