Golden Knights season preview: Similar roster returns after Cup win
Vegas looks to avoid a championship hangover with Hill and Thompson in goal.
1. Avoiding a hangover.
The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup on June 13, and the celebrations have continued into the offseason. But will they experience a Stanley Cup hangover? The Colorado Avalanche had some of it last season, but it was largely due to injuries. They were 20-17-3 after 40 games, sixth in the Central Division in points (43), and fourth in points percentage (.538). However, they rebounded to go 31-7-4 in their last 42 games, finishing first in the division. The Golden Knights will also live it. It is unclear how much of an impact it will have on them.
2. Goaltending
Adin Hill stepped up significantly last season, going 11-2 with a 2.17 goals-against average and.932 save percentage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after taking over for Laurent Brossoit in Game 3 of the Western Conference Second Round due to injury. His play earned him a two-year contract worth $4.9 million per year, which he signed on June 30. Hill has never been a No. 1 entering a season, but that appears to be his role now, or at least a 1A, with Logan Thompson at first base. He proved himself in the playoffs last season, but now he has the opportunity to demonstrate that he can be relied on consistently during the grind of the regular season. Thompson and Hill may split starts if
3. Health.
Part of the reason the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup last season was that they remained healthy at the right time. Vegas had 13 skaters play in all 22 games, while three more played in 21 of them. Injuries forced them to turn to their third goalie, Hill, but remaining healthy elsewhere helped. They will not be able to skate through the regular season without incurring injuries. They did not last year. Mark Stone and Shea Theodore both missed significant time. However, health appears to be the only wild card that could prevent the Golden Knights from returning to the playoffs as the top Western Conference team.
Making The Cut
Pavel Dorofeyev, Paul Cotter, Max Comtois, and Brendan Brisson are competing to replace Reilly Smith as the left wing on a line that includes center William Karlsson and right wing Michael Amadio. Dorofeyev and Cotter played for Vegas last season. Cotter had 18 points (13 goals, five assists) in 55 games, while Dorofeyev had nine (seven goals, two assists) in 18 games. Brisson played alongside Henderson in the American Hockey League last season. Comtois joined Vegas on a professional tryout contract after playing for the Anaheim Ducks last season. Ben Hutton and Kaedan Korczak are competing to be the seventh defenseman, and one of them could be in the opening night lineup depending on the health of Zach Whitecloud, who sustained
Most intriguing addition.
Brisson had 37 points (18 goals, 19 assists) in 58 games, while Korczak had 14 points (four goals, ten assists) with Henderson last season. Korczak also played 10 games for the Golden Knights last season, recording two assists and averaging 17:34 of ice time. It’s possible that each will start the season with Henderson, but they’ve had opportunities to showcase themselves during training camp and have done well. Brisson was Vegas’ first-round (No. 29) pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Korczak was drafted in the second round (41st overall) in 2019.
Leave a Reply