Craig was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2002.
Former Columbus Blue Jackets forward and Cleveland Monsters Captain Ryan Craig has been promoted by the Vegas Golden Knights to be their next head coach. He replaces John Tortorella, who just took the VGK to the Stanley Cup Final. It was announced on June 16 that Tortorella would not be back to coach Vegas.
Craig has spent the last three seasons as head coach for the AHL's Henderson Silver Knights. Before that, he was an assistant coach for Vegas from 2017 to 2023. He was hired by Henderson just after the VGK won the Stanley Cup in 2023.
Craig's Silver Knights missed the playoffs in two of his three seasons before winning a round in this year's Calder Cup Playoffs against San Jose. They then lost to Colorado in the Pacific semifinals.
Ryan Craig actually captained multiple Columbus Blue Jackets affiliates. From 2012 to 2015, he was the Captain for the Springfield Falcons. When the Lake Erie Monsters became the AHL affiliate in 2015, he wore the "C" until his retirement in 2017.
He played a total of 198 games in the NHL for the Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He played 8 games for Columbus and wasn't able to earn a point.
The hire of Craig is completely out of character for a Vegas franchise that loves to take chances and swing for the fences. They fired Bruce Cassidy with only eight games left in the season and brought in John Tortorella for a new coach bump going into the playoffs. It worked, as Vegas would go on to lose in 6 games in the Cup Final to the Carolina Hurricanes.
What will Craig be able to do with an always star-laden roster? How long will the Golden Knights keep him around? Stay tuned.
Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14.
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