The Vegas Golden Knights have been an incredibly successful NHL franchise. The franchise is competing in its eighth season and the Golden Knight have missed the playoffs just one time. Of course, they won the Stanley Cup in the 2022-23 season, as head coach Bruce Cassidy took over an established team. He was able to get his players to cut down on their mistakes, play physical hockey and take advantage of scoring opportunities.
After that championship performance, the Golden Knights were quite mediocre last year. They finished fourth in the Pacific Division and made the playoffs as a Wild Card team. They were promptly eliminated in the first round by the Dallas Stars.
It seems that some of the luster that the Golden Knights have had since their first season in 2017-18 has started to wear off. The Golden Knights an impressive top line that includes Jack Eichel at center, Mark Stone at right wing and Ivan Barbashev at left wing, but there are some weaknesses further down the ladder.
It also seems the defense may not have the speed that some of the top teams have and the goaltending duo of Ilya Samsonov and Adin Hill may be a bit more inconsistent than Cassidy would like to see.
Are the Golden Knights still a solid team? Their early season record of 5-2-1 indicates that opponents still have their work cut out for them every time they venture to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. However, there are weaknesses that are very likely to show up over the course of the 82-game regular season.
Golden Knights will rely on top line
The Golden Knights clearly have a great 1-2 punch on their top line with Eichel and Stone. The first part of Eichel’s career as the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft behind Conner McDavid was frustrating. Eichel put some decent seasons together with the Sabres, but injuries and his team’s inability to get to the postseason meant that Eichel wanted to find a new home.
He was traded to the Golden Knights, and once he got healthy, his level of play improved. Eichel showed all the skills that made him one of the most celebrated players in the league, and he scored 27 goals and 39 assists for 66 points in 67 regular season games in 2022-23. He was dynamic in the Stanley Cup run with 6 goals and 20 assists in 22 postseason games.
Eichel had an impressive season in 2023-24 with 31 goals and 37 assists, and he is clearly one of the leaders on the teams.
The other primary leader is Stone, and the 32-year-old is in his seventh season with the Golden Knights. He has never scored more than 21 goals in the regular season with Vegas, but he has a “get on my back” quality to his game. There’s something about Stone’s toughness, work ethic and desire that sends a message to the coaching staff, his teammates and the fan base that he will get the job done when the game is on the line.
Barbashev is a great fit on the top line and he has seven goals and four assists along with a with a plus-5 rating in the first 8 games of the season. If Barbashev can stay healthy this year — and he did last year — he could score 25 goals or more.
Do the Knights have enough secondary scoring?
There are significant questions once Cassidy goes beyond his top line. Tomas Hertl serves as the center on the No. 2 line along with left wing Brett Howden and right wing Pavel Dorofeyev.
Hertl has star qualities in his 12th year in the league, and he is capable of making some impressive plays with his strength, skating ability and skill. However, he has not always displayed consistency in his career with the San Jose Sharks.
He came over to the Golden Knights at the trade deadline last year and Cassidy is hoping that his effort is solid. He has gotten off to a good start with 4 goals and 4 assists, but the test will come over the long season. Dorofeyev and Howden are significant question marks.
The third and fourth lines will have to come through if the Golden Knights are going to challenge in the Pacific Division. William Karlsson has had some big years for the Golden Knights, but he is somewhat hot and cold. While he scored 30 goals last season, he was held to 15 goals or less in the previous four seasons.
Speed on defense could be an issue
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The Golden Knights have an impressive first pair on defense with Noah Hanifin and Alex Pietrangelo. Hanifin is in his 10th year in the league and his first full season with the Golden Knights. He came over in a trade at the deadline last season from the Calgary Flames and he should be comfortable while being paired with Pietrangelo.
Hanifin is an excellent skater and puck handler. The 34-year-old Pietrangelo is a two-time Stanley Cup winner and a three-time All-Star. He excels at all aspects of the game and he has an excellent shot from the point. Cassidy can count on Pietrangelo to get his shot through traffic and on goal when he shoots the puck from the blue line.
Shea Theodore and Zach Whitecloud are adequate on the second pair and Theodore has a remarkable shot from the point. The Golden Knights rewarded him with a seven-year, $51.975 million contract. Theodore score 42 points a year ago, and he has 7 points in his first 7 games this season.
However, the third pairing of Brayden McNabb and Kaedan Korczak has much to prove.
If all three pairings can come through for Cassidy and the third pairing proves to have enough quickness and speed, the Golden Knights should find themselves among the top teams in the Western Conference.
If not, they could have a tough battle to get in the top three of the Pacific Divisin.