Vegas hopes to contend for Cup with new-look roster
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NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Vegas Golden Knights expect to contend for the Stanley Cup again despite losing several members of their 2022-23 championship team.
Vegas has made the Stanley Cup Playoffs six times in seven seasons and won 11 playoff series since joining the NHL as an expansion team in 2017-18.
“Playoffs,” center Tomas Hertl said, “it’s kind of mandatory.”
The one time the Golden Knights didn’t qualify for the playoffs, in 2021-22, they won the Cup the following season.
Center Jack Eichel sees a similar dynamic now after they lost to the Dallas Stars in seven games in the Western Conference First Round last season and were eliminated in the first round for only the second time in their history.
“I think we should be extremely motivated,” Eichel told NHL Network. “I think going into the season two years ago after having missed the playoffs, I think everyone came into camp in a really good form and with a lot to prove that season. Obviously, (Vegas) went on to win.
“And last year, I think we had super high expectations again but obviously didn’t get the job done. It just goes to show how competitive our league is and how hard it is to win, so I would expect everyone would be [champing] at the bit to get back at training camp this year and back to work and try to prove to everyone we’re a Stanley Cup contender and do what we can to get back on top.”
Jack Eichel talks about his offseason, playing in Vegas and more
The Golden Knights lost seven pieces of their 2023 championship team in the offseason: forwards Jonathan Marchessault (signed with the Nashville Predators), Chandler Stephenson (signed with the Seattle Kraken), William Carrier (signed with the Carolina Hurricanes), Michael Amadio (signed with the Ottawa Senators) and Paul Cotter (traded to the New Jersey Devils), plus defenseman Alec Martinez (signed with the Chicago Blackhawks) and goalie Logan Thompson (traded to the Washington Capitals).
Vegas also lost forward Anthony Mantha, a 2024 NHL Trade Deadline pickup (signed with the Calgary Flames).
The loss of Marchessault is particularly painful. He had been with the Golden Knights since the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. He is the team’s all-time leader in goals (192), assists (225) and points (417) in the regular season, as well as goals (36) and points (75) in the playoffs. When Vegas won the Stanley Cup, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy, voted the playoffs’ most valuable player.
But this is the fallout from winning a championship, just delayed a year. The only major loss the Golden Knights had last offseason was forward Reilly Smith, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“Part of the reason we won the Stanley Cup is we had so many players outperform their contract,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “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.”
Vegas added goalies Ilya Samsonov and Akira Schmid and forwards Victor Olofsson and Alexander Holtz in the offseason. But the biggest additions that should pay dividends were made before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline: Hertl, acquired from the San Jose Sharks on March 8, and defenseman Noah Hanifin, acquired from the Flames on March 6.
The NHL Tonight crew analyze the Golden Knights' offseason
The Golden Knights also have young players and prospects who will fight for jobs on the wing, including Pavel Dorofeyev and Brendan Brisson.
“We’re going to provide some opportunities for players that are greater than what they’ve had in the past, and when we go back to our expansion year, we learned a lot by players getting more opportunity than they had elsewhere,” McCrimmon said. “We uncovered some hockey players, and we’ll have a little bit of that feel with some of the players that are going to get opportunities on our team.”
Vegas still has a lot of veteran leadership, starting with captain Mark Stone. The Golden Knights are strong in goal with Adin Hill; on defense with Hanifin, Brayden McNabb, Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore; and up the middle with Eichel, Hertl and William Karlsson.
Expectations will be as high as ever.
“It’s for sure getting in the playoffs and going as far as you can,” Hertl said. “[In 2022-23], they won it, and they want to do it again.”
