Ryan Craig’s first Vegas Golden Knights camp as an NHL head coach opens with a short runway and a clear message: the club is not carrying last spring’s Stanley Cup Final run into a new season on reputation alone.
Vegas starts over under Craig
Craig, 44, takes over after being hired June 17, three days after Vegas fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Golden Knights have only two practice days before Saturday’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Kings at 9 p.m. ET on SCRIPPS.
- The NHL’s revised calendar gives clubs an 84-game regular season, two more than before, while shortening training camp.
- Vegas will play four exhibition games, the league maximum. Players with at least 100 NHL games are permitted to appear in no more than two.
- The Golden Knights begin the regular season Sept. 29 at T-Mobile Arena against the Chicago Blackhawks, with puck drop scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
“We’re beginning again,” Craig said, stressing that the team must establish its identity over camp and through the longer schedule. He said Vegas needs to keep building its game so it is prepared when the season becomes more demanding.
General manager Kelly McCrimmon said the compressed camp makes early work especially important. Craig is new to the NHL head-coaching chair, but not new to the organization. He joined Vegas in its inaugural 2017-18 season, spent six seasons as an assistant with the Golden Knights and coached the AHL’s Henderson club for the past three years.
That background has given him relationships with several returning players and a detailed view of the organization’s prospects. He also used the summer to get to know players such as Mitch Marner, entering his second Vegas season.
“I’ve talked with ‘Craiger’ quite a bit over the summer,” Marner said. “I’m looking forward to getting going with him and seeing what he can bring.”
Familiar structure, with a few new wrinkles
Craig used in Henderson the same broad system that helped Vegas win the Stanley Cup in 2023, and he does not intend to tear down that foundation. Still, adjustments are coming after John Tortorella made changes when he replaced Bruce Cassidy for the final eight games last season.
- Both Carter Hart and Adin Hill are expected to see meaningful work in net.
- Vegas plans to spread puck-moving ability across its three defense pairs.
- The blue line will be encouraged to join the attack more often.
- Jack Eichel could be used as a more direct shooting threat on the power play.
- Roster competition will remain active after camp breaks.
“I believe in the way we’ve played here, and our players believe in it as well,” Craig said.
Hart closed the regular season well under Tortorella and was Vegas’ only playoff goalie. Hill, who started 14 games during the 2023 championship run, struggled last year and did not get into the postseason. Craig would not assign either man labels such as starter, backup or 1A and 1B.
“Both goalies are going to play,” Craig said. He noted that Vegas hopes to play more than 100 games when postseason hockey is included, and that modern workload management makes it unlikely one goalie should be expected to handle 50 or 60 starts. Craig said both netminders had productive summers and should arrive motivated.
On defense, Shea Theodore, Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin are likely to be split onto separate pairings. Brayden McNabb, Parker Wotherspoon and Jeremy Lauzon provide the more defensive side of those potential duos.
Craig sees the game increasingly requiring five-man support rather than a divide between forwards creating offense and defensemen staying back. “You need everybody involved,” he said, citing the league’s skill level and the way opponents defend.
Replacing Dorofeyev and sharpening the power play
Vegas must account for the loss of Pavel Dorofeyev, who produced 72 goals across the past two seasons, including 33 on the power play. He signed a seven-year, $77 million deal with the New York Rangers on July 1.
Victor Olofsson gives the club another finishing option after signing a one-year, $1.64 million contract July 2. Olofsson recorded an NHL-best 28 goals in 75 games for Buffalo in 2022-23, then scored 15 times in 56 games for Vegas in 2024-25.
The Golden Knights also expect healthier seasons from William Karlsson and captain Mark Stone. Karlsson missed 68 games last season, while Stone was absent for 22.
Marner found a playoff fit beside Karlsson and Brett Howden after moving around the lineup during his first Vegas campaign. He led all postseason scorers with 29 points, including 10 goals and 19 assists, in 22 games.
Craig wants to give that trio a chance to continue growing together. Howden’s playoff surge was particularly striking: he led Vegas with 14 goals in 22 games after never topping 23 in a regular season.
Eichel finished last season with 27 goals, but only one came with the man advantage. That power-play goal arrived in the penultimate game of the schedule, a 6-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on April 13. With Dorofeyev gone, McCrimmon indicated Eichel may be placed in spots where he can shoot more frequently.
Roster spots remain open
Braeden Bowman’s contract situation adds another layer to camp. The forward signed a six-year, $20.4 million extension carrying a $3.4 million average annual value, and the deal begins in 2027-28.
Bowman posted 26 points, eight goals and 18 assists, in 54 games with Vegas last season. He added 26 points in just 20 games for Henderson, scoring 12 goals and setting up 14 more.
Three or four forward jobs are expected to be available, with several Henderson players pushing for a call-up or a place on the opening roster. McCrimmon said Craig’s familiarity with the AHL group should help the coaching staff evaluate those candidates quickly.
Craig said the battle will not end when the Golden Knights leave camp. A player who does not open in the NHL can still make an impression strong enough to earn the next opportunity.
He pointed to Bowman as an example of a player now arriving at camp with the goal of becoming a full-time NHL regular. Every candidate, Craig said, should come in trying to make the Vegas roster.
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Ryan Craig begins Vegas Golden Knights camp with new plans for goalies, power play and roster battle
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Ryan Craig opens his first Golden Knights camp with an 84-game schedule ahead, a two-goalie plan, power-play changes and key roster competition in Vegas.
