Vegas announces John Tortorella won’t be back as head coach next season
Nation Sites
The Nation Network
OilersNation has no direct affiliation to the Edmonton Oilers, Oilers Entertainment Group, NHL, or NHLPA
NHL Notebook: Torts out in Vegas; Woll traded to Flyers
Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Jun 17, 2026, 00:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 17, 2026, 00:01 EDT
More coaching shake-ups are occurring around the league, as John Tortorella is officially out for the Vegas Golden Knights. The team is expected to promote Ryan Craig, according to The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta.
Craig has spent his entire nine-season career in the Golden Knights’ organization, originally as an assistant coach from 2017-23, and then as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, starting in 2023-24.
Last year with the Silver Knights, his team held a 39-21-12 record, making the playoffs for his first time in his three seasons as a head coach. Prior to his coaching career, he was drafted 255th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2002 NHL Draft. He played 198 NHL games, scoring 32 goals and 63 points.
Tortorella’s plan is to continue coaching, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported. The veteran NHL coach came in with just eight games remaining in the 2025-26 season for the Golden Knights and led them to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final, where they fell short to the Carolina Hurricanes. It is yet to be seen where he will end up for the 2026-27 season.
“Torts was awesome,” said defenceman Shea Theodore. “I think he was really what our group needed at the end to kind of push us into playoffs… A lot of credit to him. He was a fantastic coach. Obviously, he’s been around for a long time, and it was fun to be able to meet him and be a part of him.”
Bruce Cassidy is still under contract for the Golden Knights, who have not budged yet to allow other teams to speak with their former bench boss. With the arrival of a new coach next season, Vegas players will have played under three coaches in less than a calendar year.
Leafs’ promising young goaltender Joseph Woll sent to Philadelphia
John Chayka has made his first trade since taking over as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ general manager, sending goaltender Joseph Woll and defenceman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers. In return, the team got back goaltender Samuel Ersson, defenceman Emil Andrae, and a 2026 third-round draft pick.
TRADE: We’ve acquired defenceman Emil Andrae, goaltender Samuel Ersson and a third-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for goaltender Joseph Woll and defenceman Simon Benoit
Woll was drafted 62nd overall by the Leafs in 2016, making his NHL debut in the 2021-22 season. He played 117 games for the club and recorded a 2.93 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. His trade came as a shock to Leafs fans on social media, as the 27-year-old goaltender he still has room to grow, and could turn into a starter for the Flyers.
Ersson’s stats are less promising than Woll’s with a 3.01 GAA and .884 Sv% in 143 games. He will join Anthony Stolarz and Dennis Hildeby in the Maple Leafs’ goaltending squad.
Daily Faceoff LIVE’s Tyler Yaremchuk explains that the trade was focused on relieving cap space and acquiring a left-shot defenceman, as Morgan Rielly could be on the move this offseason. He was joined by co-host Carter Hutton to discuss the move on Tuesday’s episode.
Tyler Yaremchuk: On the surface, there are some people kind of going “Why are the Leafs trading Joseph Woll for a package that isn’t all that exciting?” I mean, Sam Ersson had some real significant struggles this season. I do really like Emil Andrae, and when you look at the left side of the Leafs’ blue line, assuming they move on from Morgan Rielly, well that’s a left-shot out the door and you now have (Jake) McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Emil Andrae as your three pieces on the left side. That makes sense to me. You get a third-round pick. The other part of this, Hutts, is the Leafs were sitting with a lot of quality goalies in their system, and three of them in Stolarz, Woll, and Hildeby, who would’ve needed waivers next year, so they’re kind of getting ahead of this waivers mess, I suppose. What do you make of the deal?Carter Hutton: I guess I was a little surprised with Woll being moved out, because I do feel like he has a pretty high ceiling still, at his age and his capability. But, I think you look at the World Championship and how poor he was over there in a situation where you’re with Devin Cooley and you’re supposed to be the guy. It’s a good experience to grow, he doesn’t grow. And then from sources, being a little more high-maintenance, being a little bit more of a head case, as a traditional goalie sometimes can be. Then you start to look at the success the Marlies are having with Arthur Akhtyamov and how good he’s been, and he’s 24, and Hildeby had a lot of success.
Ross Colton traded to Avalanche
Another new general manager made his first trade on Tuesday, as Nashville Predators general manager Chris MacFarland picked up a familiar face in Colorado Avalanche forward Ross Colton. He arrived in Nashville alongside goaltender Isak Posch in exchange for goaltender Magnus Chrona and third-round picks in 2026 and 2027.
TRADE 🔄 We've acquired forward Ross Colton and goaltender Isak Posch from Colorado. Full details » preds.club/4wdZj91
The 2027 pick acquired by the Avalanche was previously their own, sent to the Predators with Ondrej Pavel in 2024 for Jusso Pärssinen and a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Colton, 29, has played 404 games in the NHL, logging 89 goals and 202 points. He won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021, and scored the lone goal in Game 5 against Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens to secure the championship. This season he scored nine goals and 24 points in 73 games in the Avalanche’s Presidents’ Trophy season, and tallied two goals and five points in their three-round playoff run.
The Predators fell four points short of playoff contention this season, finishing fourth in the wild card race, and tenth in the Western Conference. This year was the team’s second year in a row of missing the playoffs, and eighth since defeating the Avalanche in 2018 – the year prior, they fell just short of their first Stanley Cup championship as the Pittsburgh Penguins took the series 4-2.
With the addition of Colton, the Predators have more security in their forward depth as they aim to bridge the gap between being a middle-placing team and being a true cup contender. Meanwhile, the Avalanche gain valuable assets in the two third-round picks and a goaltending prospect who could show promise down the line.
Chrona, 24, has only played nine games at the NHL level, and has struggled at the AHL level, posting a 27-39-17 record, a .897 save percentage and a 3.09 in 86 games with the San Jose Barracuda and Milwaukee Admirals. Chrona signed a contract in May to join the SHL’s Brynäs IF in Sweden.