New report sheds light on John Tortorella's return behind an NHL bench

The Vegas Knights made it official Wednesday: John Tortorella is out, and Ryan Craig is their new head coach.

Kelly McCrimmon told Tortorella he would not return, then moved quickly to Craig, closing a coaching search that lasted less than a full offseason.

That's a strange situation by any measure, even by NHL standards where coaching carousels spin fast. You hire a guy, change your mind before training camp, and move on. McCrimmon clearly decided the fit wasn't right.

The Knights finished 39-26-17 last season, 95 points, first in their division. This wasn't a rebuild project looking for a change-of-culture hire.

Jack Eichel posted 90 points in 74 games. Mitch Marner added 80 points in 81. Mark Stone, limited to 60 games, still put up 73 points.

Ryan Craig inherits a Vegas roster built to win now

That's a top six capable of carrying a team deep into a playoff run. Whoever coaches this group does not need to install a new system from scratch, he needs to manage egos, deployment, and trust.

Craig walks into a room with Eichel at $10 million, Marner at $12 million, and Stone at $9.5 million. That's a significant amount of star-level investment that demands results immediately.

Pavel Dorofeyev was the team's most durable forward last season, playing all 82 games and scoring 37 goals. At $1,835,000, he might be the best value contract on the roster.

The goaltending picture remains unsettled. Carter Hart posted a .907 save percentage across 22 starts. Akira Schmid went .893 in 34 appearances. Neither number screams starter.

Nick Kypreos said on Sportsnet Central just yesterday that he didn't see Tortorella behind an NHL bench as early as October.

Nick Kypreos: I don't see John Tortorella coming back as early as October as an NHL head coach; maybe throw his name out there March or April if teams get itchy, I think that's more realistic.

Whether Craig was McCrimmon's first choice all along, or whether this was a pivot after the Tortorella situation quietly fell apart, nobody on the Vegas side is saying.

The real question now is whether a roster this talented, with this much continuity, can actually get out of its own way and make another serious run come spring.