The Vegas Golden Knights lifted the Stanley Cup in 2023, not even two years ago. Memories and attention spans are short though, and it seems that people have already forgotten about or written off the Golden Knights. Elliotte Friedman testified to this on 32 Thoughts:
“There are a lot of people who are also down on Vegas. I said somewhere that I still think they can win the Stanley Cup. And, again, I had people saying to me, ‘You’re nuts. They lost a lot, and they’re not that good.'”
Elliotte was not lying. According to Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic, the Golden Knights have a one percent chance of winning the Stanley Cup—the same odds as the Utah Hockey Club, Ottawa Senators, and Minnesota Wild. BetMGM gave the Golden Knights +1600 odds, matching the Nashville Predators and lagging behind the New Jersey Devils (a team that did not even make the playoffs last season) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (a team with one playoff series win since the Golden Knights joined the NHL).
Excuse me? This dismissal took me aback. Sure, the team lost seven players from their championship roster, but it is not as if they did nothing to replace those pieces. Furthermore, the team is healthy, and, after a first-round exit in the 2024 postseason, they will be hungrier than ever to prove that 2023 was not a fluke. Simply put, the Golden Knights are a sleeping giant; a team that should not be overlooked so easily because they have all the ingredients to contend for another Stanley Cup.
Golden Knights Addressed Needs in the Offseason
The list of players who parted with the Golden Knights this offseason is extensive: Jonathan Marchessault (Predators), Chandler Stephenson (Seattle Kraken), William Carrier (Carolina Hurricanes), Michael Amadio (Senators), Paul Cotter (Devils), Alec Martinez (Chicago Blackhawks), and Logan Thompson (Washington Capitals). General manager Kelly McCrimmon acknowledged how difficult it would have been to keep all those players:
“Part of the reason we won the Stanley Cup is we had so many players outperform their contract. Well, when their contracts come due, they go and find market value. That’s the nature of the business. It hurts. At the same time, we’re very excited about moving forward.”
No one can argue that McCrimmon has not been looking forward. In 2023, the team acquired Ivan Barbashev before the trade deadline. Last season, Tomas Hertl joined the squad in a surprise trade with the San Jose Sharks minutes before the deadline. Let us not forget the addition and extension of Noah Hannifin earlier this calendar year which fortified the team’s defense even further. Throw in the acquisitions of Victor Olofsson, Alexander Holtz, Zach Aston-Reese, and Tanner Pearson over the summer, and the Golden Knights have addressed every facet of their roster.
Clearly, the departures caught no one in management by surprise, and the Golden Knights entered this season with a replenished, albeit altered, roster that stacks up against the best teams in the league.
Jack Eichel, Hertl, and Nicolas Roy are the team’s top three centers. Everyone knows what Eichel brings. Hertl is a proven, consistent scorer who can play any style needed. Roy is a responsible, hard-nosed forward who can chip in offensively. I do not know many teams who would pass on the backbone those centers form. Because of that stability, players like Olofsson, Holtz, and Pearson can slot in smoothly, play to their strengths, and contribute.
Related: Revisiting the Golden Knights’ Trade for Max Pacioretty
We cannot overlook returning players like Keegan Koelsar, Brett Howden, and Pavel Dorofeyev. Kolesar served an integral fourth-line role in the team’s Cup run. Howden was a reliable bottom-six forward who contributed 10 points and a plus-4 rating throughout the same span. Dorofeyev’s 13 goals in 47 games last season put him on pace for 22 in 82 games.
Despite the subtractions the Golden Knights suffered, the team’s offseason additions, alongside returning players, more than address the holes. Of course, it will take time for the team to find its footing, and veteran leadership will be required. Enter Mark Stone, the team’s top-tier defensemen, and a healthy squad.
Golden Knights’ Veteran Leadership and Unparalleled Defensemen
Mark Stone has not played an entire NHL season in his career. Injuries have plagued him, and his time on the long-term injured reserve list has caused outrage. None of it has stopped him from becoming a phenomenal leader who will do anything to win. This season, the Golden Knights will have a healthy Stone from the beginning to help unite a team with many new faces.
Stone will not be alone though. Veteran defensemen Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, and Brayden McNabb will help players assimilate into the demanding yet rewarding Golden Knights culture. Hanifin—who makes the team’s top four defensemen arguably the best in the league—will have a full season to familiarize himself with the team’s structure and systems. With nine seasons under his belt, he will only reinforce the leadership voices guiding the team back to success.
What is more, the Golden Knights will hear these voices from healthy bodies. Pietrangelo, Theodore, Hanifin, Zach Whitecloud, and Nicolas Hague all missed time last season. In fact, of the six defensemen on the roster when they opened the season on Wednesday (Oct. 9), only McNabb played in all 82 games.
The injury bug was not contained only to defensemen. Eichel, Roy, Dorofeyev, Howden, and William Karlsson all missed time last season. Right now, only Karlsson is injured. That revitalized, veteran forward group will assist the defensive core in ensuring the team starts strong and maintains momentum.
The leadership group the Golden Knights boast is one many teams long to replicate. Having those leaders enter the season at (nearly) full health means that we will see a much-improved team.
A Chip on Vegas’ Shoulder
Finally, never underestimate a team that has been overlooked after having won so recently. The Golden Knights players are aware that expectations are lower, at least from the outside. But I guarantee that within that locker room, no one has lowered their expectations. Owner Bill Foley said the team would win a Stanley Cup within six seasons of entering the NHL. They did. Do you think one Stanley Cup is enough? If you do, then you are probably one of the people overlooking the Golden Knights.
