September 17, 2026 • 9:03 PM EDT
Updated 1 hours ago
There’s never a dull moment in Vegas, especially if you’re following the Golden Knights. After coming within two wins of a second Stanley Cup in only eight years, the Knights are opening training camp with a different kind of chip on their shoulder. This group doesn’t dwell on process for its own sake. It’s about finishing the job—plain and simple at this level.
Last season left a mark. Vegas briefly led 2-1 in the Final against Carolina, only to watch another Cup slip away. No surprise: the team’s top players say they haven’t forgotten. Jack Eichel put it straight on day one: it stings being so close and not closing—especially for a team built for hardware. The Knights aren’t just talking big; they’re listed among favorites again at +850 to 10-1 odds to lift the Cup. In Vegas, expectations don’t stay in the locker room—they’re up in neon.
According to Yahoo Sports, the Knights’ front office hasn’t shied away from bold moves. Coaching turnover isn’t a sideshow here, it’s a tool. The club moved from one championship coach to another, then switched again—and that’s just since the end of last season. Most teams would flinch at that. Vegas acts. After nine seasons of postseason drama, anything less than a serious Cup run now feels like a letdown.
The history matters here. Vegas made the Cup Final as a first-year team, then kept swinging for big trades, bold free agents, and—when it suited them—different bench bosses. Gerard Gallant, Pete DeBoer, and Bruce Cassidy, all left their marks, but no one is untouchable. With Bruce Cassidy sacked late last season, John Tortorella arrived, fired up the bench, and led Vegas to an 7-0-1 finish plus a dominant playoff run including a sweep of Presidents’ Trophy winners Colorado. Then, heartbreak as Carolina erased a Vegas 2-1 series lead and won the Cup in six, taking full advantage of a blown Knights opportunity in Game 2.
- Vegas fired its head coach after last season’s close Cup run, hired John Tortorella, then replaced him too
- The team finished just two wins shy of another Stanley Cup
- Odds makers peg the Knights as top contenders again (+850 to 10-1)
- Management continues to tinker with the coaching setup for every edge
- Ryan Craig now leads, promoted for his deep experience with the organization
- The Knights have only missed the playoffs once in team history
It’s not just upper management feeling the pressure. Players know ‘almost’ isn’t enough in Vegas. Mitch Marner summed it up: “When you come that close, it stinks.” That’s not just postgame talk—it’s fuel for a group that enters almost every season as Cup-or-bust. Now Ryan Craig steps up as head coach, already familiar inside Knights walls thanks to his years with the franchise’s AHL affiliate. Captain Mark Stone sees it as a continuation, not a rebuilding job. “We were two games away from another Stanley Cup, so we like how the team was built. We like where the team’s mindset is. He needs to kind of get his message out there, but I’m pretty confident in the ability of the guys in the room to take whatever message we’re getting and run with it,” Stone said.
With camp open and a date set for a home tie with Chicago, the Knights are back in business. Their target isn’t just the postseason—it’s hoisting the Cup, with every move (on and off the ice) pointing that way. Kelly McCrimmon, the GM, didn’t mince words: it’s all about closing the gap from ‘almost there’ to finishing the job. For you as a bettor, keep in mind that Vegas won’t settle for coming up short, and the roster is hungry. It’s a good bet this team will be among the league’s most aggressive, both in management decisions and on the ice, chasing that sense of unfinished business all year.
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