Bruce Cassidy didn’t leave much room for doubt when asked about Ryan Craig taking over behind the Vegas Golden Knights bench.
Speaking on Unscripted, the Golden Knights’ former head coach backed Craig to handle the job in his first season. Cassidy said he expects the players to respond to him and pointed to the day-to-day decisions that will shape how smoothly the transition goes.
"But I do think that the players will like him. He'll be a guy that they'll want to play for. And as I said, when the calls come and, you know, when to change, you know, in game management or changing up lines or looking at different chemistry, those are the things that, you know, coaches have to get right."
Bruce Cassidy on Ryan Craig
Craig’s path to the top job has been built entirely inside the organization. He has been with the Golden Knights since the franchise entered the league, spending six seasons as an assistant head coach before serving three seasons as head coach of the Henderson Silver Knights. Last season, he guided Henderson to the Calder Cup playoffs and a third-place finish in the Pacific Division.
Cassidy’s support matters because of what he’s already done in Vegas. He is the winningest head coach in Golden Knights history, going 178-99-43 for 399 points. His 178 wins are the most the franchise has seen from any coach, and he also delivered the Stanley Cup in his first season with the team.
That résumé gives his backing extra punch, especially since Cassidy has won at the highest level before. He came one win shy of the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2019 and also spent time with Canada’s Olympic team.
For Craig, the setup is familiar and the opportunity is clear. He knows the organization, has already worked his way through its coaching ranks, and now steps into the NHL with a season of success at Henderson behind him. There will still be issues to sort out, but the Golden Knights believe the move from the AHL to the big club should be a natural one.
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Connelly, for his part, sounds like a player eager to make the most of the opportunity, saying he is excited about camp and about his own development while skating with veteran teammates. For the Golden Knights, that creates the kind of early roster conversation that can be easy to ignore in September and much harder to dismiss if a young forward keeps stacking good days. The talent is obvious, the patience is there, and the only real question now is how quickly the rest of it comes together. [Read more 🡒]