Penguins Could Learn A Lot From the Vegas Golden Knights

This season, the Pittsburgh Penguins returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. However, the Penguins, along with 29 other NHL teams, are home watching the final two teams face off in the Stanley Cup Final. The Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights are battling it out to see which organization is going to win its second Cup. Whether you love them or hate them, the Golden Knights have been a menace this season. There are several lessons the Penguins could learn from the Golden Misfits. 

Golden Knights Are Going to be Hard to Beat 

The Stanley Cup Final is currently tied 1-1, and neither team is going down easily. There are several things that make Vegas an elite talent, and the Penguins could definitely learn from them. 

This summer, the president of hockey operations and general manager, Kyle Dubas, should be looking to add one, if not two, forwards who are NHL-ready. Finding a Jack Eichel dupe would be the ideal situation for Pittsburgh.

Eichel is a high-level scorer and a strong defender. He has been a machine in Vegas this season, playing in 74 regular-season games and scoring 27 goals with 63 assists for 90 points. His puck-handling skills are top-tier, and his two-way game is very good. He is also the ultimate playmaker, and he plays a very disciplined game. 

The Golden Knights have a reputation for being ruthless, and their front office does not pull any punches. Dubas has done a good job of collecting draft picks and prospects, but that doesn’t seem to be a priority in Vegas. They have not had a draft pick play in more than 27 NHL games since 2019, when they drafted Pavel Dorofeyev and Kaedan Korczak.

Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon took over in 2019, and his strategy has been to acquire prospects and picks only to trade them away. His approach has been wildly successful.

McCrimmon held on to his first-round pick in 2023 to draft David Edstrom, only to trade him away before the next draft in another blockbuster move. On March 6, 2024, Vegas acquired Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames in exchange for a conditional 2025 first-round pick.

On March 8, 2024, McCrimmon used conditions to trade the same pick twice when he acquired Tomas Hertl from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Edstrom and that same 2025 first-round pick. Because they completed this deal before the deadline, the conditions of the pick were met, and it became a 2026 first-round pick. 

McCrimmon’s goal since coming to Vegas has been to improve the franchise, and he has done that. In order to make his team better, he has made the tough decisions to trade away popular veterans and fan favorites. Obviously, Vegas has never had a legacy even close to the Penguins’ core, but it is worth noting that saying goodbye to some of their core players made their team better in the long run. 

Dubas Should Take Notes From Golden Knights

The Penguins had a successful season, but they are nowhere near the level of the Golden Knights or the Hurricanes. Dubas has not committed to one specific plan since he has been in Pittsburgh. He has kept the core in place and tried to build a supporting cast around them, which is not a long-term solution.

Making the hard decisions to trade away fan favorites may not make him very popular at first, but he is going to need to pick a side sooner rather than later. Returning his team to the playoffs this season was good, but he raised his own bar for next season.