Candidate #2: Ryan Craig, Vegas Golden Knights (Assistant Coach)
In seeking a new assistant coach, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be likely be looking for someone offensive-minded that isn’t afraid to try new things.
If they look to snag a current assistant from another club, look no further than Vegas’ Ryan Craig.
Another younger coach at 38 years of age, Craig’s coaching experience consists of three seasons as an assistant on the Golden Knights’ bench. A day-one member of their staff, Craig has seen a significant amount of success with his power play and forward units.
Over the past three seasons, Vegas’ power play ranks fourth in expected goals per 60 at 7.43. Though Toronto, Carolina, and San Jose rank ahead of Craig’s unit, the key here is the consistency which the Golden Knights have had.
Vegas’ power play has had a nearly identical xGF/60 rate each year under Craig. Going from 7.43 in 2017-18, to 7.45 in 2018-19, and 7.40 this year, that level of consistency is simply unheard of.
In regards to progressive thinking, just look back to the final minute of regulation in the Golden Knights’ 2019 Game Seven loss to the Sharks.
Vegas sent out six forwards in an all-out attempt to tie the game, something we rarely see from NHL teams. William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, Max Pacioretty, Reilly Smith, Paul Stastny, and Mark Stone were on the ice to tie the game, a strategy that the Leafs looked to implement last season at times.
On multiple occasions, Toronto’s coaching staff sent out an all forward lineup when pursuing a goal. For example, we saw it on the 4-on-3 winning overtime power play against Ottawa back on February 1 (Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares).
The key here is Vegas’ current coaching situation. Gerard Gallant, who originally hired Craig, was fired this season in favour of Peter DeBoer. If DeBoer wants his own assistants, Craig could potentially be on the open market (similar to McFarland being fired so Joel Quenneville could bring in his own staff in Florida).
Additionally, Craig’s contract is not publically known and if he’s a free agent, Toronto could swoop in and lure him to the organization.
Either way, Ryan Craig is one of the top candidates for the Toronto Maple Leafs vacancy on paper and if the situation aligns for Toronto, it would not be surprising to see Craig on the bench with Sheldon Keefe and Dave Hakstol in 2020-21.