Record - 43-31-8 (94 points), 4th in the Pacific Division
Goals For: 266 (12th in the NHL), Goals Against: 248 (15th in the NHL)
Leading Goal Scorer - Jonathan Marchessault (30)
Leading Point Scorer - Jonathan Marchessault (66)
The Vegas Golden Knights took the hockey world by storm when they entered the league in the 2017-2018 season. With 500-1 odds to the Stanley Cup, they won an astounding 51 games and had home ice advantage in the Cup Finals where they'd eventually lose to the Capitals in 5 games. They had runs of success since then, making the playoffs the next three years, but never got as close as they did that first season. Last year, though, things did not go as planned. They were one of the favorites to win hockey's most coveted prize, but failed to make the postseason finishing just three points outside of the last wild card spot. They were plagued by injuries all season long with several key players missing huge chunks of games. Now with a new head coach and a (mostly) healthy team, the Knights are looking to get right back to competing for a Stanley Cup Championship in 2023.
Just because they didn't make the postseason, doesn't mean they Knights had a bad season. They just got cold at the wrong time and didn't win enough games down the stretch to keep themselves in contention. It's not easy to win games in this league, but it becomes all the more difficult when you have a depleted lineup. Two of their top players in Max Pacioretty and captain Mark Stone played a combined 76 games. Defenseman Alec Martinez only played 26 games. Reilly Smith only played 56. Goalie Robin Lehner dealt with injuries as well starting just 44 games. It's tough to put a winning team on the ice when many of your top players are hurt. The fact they managed to accrue 43 wins is honestly quite impressive. It shows how deep their roster was.
The roster they have now will be somewhat different than last year's. With their current salary cap situation, GM George McPhee had his hands tied and had no choice but to move Max Pacioretty to Carolina in exchange for future considerations (whatever that means). McPhee also traded winger Evgenii Dadonov to Montreal and took Shea Weber's contract off of the Canadiens' hands. Both of these moves were to simply give the Knights some much needed cap relief. There's several players on their roster with big contracts, and they don't have much wiggle room financially.
The Knights definitely lost more than they gained personnel wise this offseason, but they made a great signing in Phil Kessel. Scoring a career low 8 goals in Arizona in 2022, Kessel is looking for a bounce back season on a Knights team that is far and away better than the Coyotes. He'll be 35 by the time the season starts, but he is still one of the best pure goal scorers since coming into the league. The Knights signed him on a dime, agreeing to a 1-year $1.5 million contract. The potential value he can provide this team on that salary is enormous. Physically, Phil the Thrill is looking the best that he has in years, which isn't saying much considering how low that bar was to begin with. But still, it seems like Kessel is motivated, excited, and ready for this new opportunity in Vegas. Look for him to make an impact on a powerplay that's in desperate need of improvement.
If it wasn't for having such an atrocious powerplay the past few seasons, I think Peter DeBoer would still have a job in Vegas. In the two full seasons under DeBoer, the Knights ranked 22nd and 25th on the man advantage. With the amount of talent they have, that is simply unacceptable. I honestly cannot fathom why their PP is so bad. Between Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault, Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, and now Jack Eichel, there is absolutely zero reason why they shouldn't have a top 10 powerplay. I believe Bruce Cassidy will change that. During his time in Boston, the Bruins were one of the best teams in the league on special teams. The B's powerplay and PK finished outside of the top 10 in the league just once in the five seasons Cassidy spent there. I have no doubt the Knights' special teams will be better this year with Cassidy running the show.
As I mentioned earlier, injuries crippled the Knights last season. Along with their special teams, not being able to stay healthy was a major reason why they failed to make the playoffs for the first time in their short history as a franchise. It's something every team goes through to a certain extent that is also completely out of their control. So as we inched closer and closer towards training camp, the team was hoping the injury woes were in the rearview mirror. Unfortunately, the health issues carried over in a bad way. Last month, it was announced that Vegas' star goalie Robin Lehner will miss the entire season due to a hip injury that requires surgery. Luckily for Vegas, they have an up and coming goalie in Logan Thompson who was very good for them last season, and is ready to step up as the number one option. I can't help but wonder, though, if George McPhee and Vegas fans alike wish he handled the situation with Lehner and Marc-Andre Fleury differently.
Regardless of everything that's happened this offseason, Vegas is still a very good hockey team. Jack Eichel is back at 100%. I can't begin to describe how excited I am to see what he does in his first full season in a Knight's sweater. With him leading the charge offensively, and Pietrangelo and Stone leading the charge defensively, they can get back into playoffs this year. I'm interested to see the line combinations that Bruce Cassidy comes up with for these stars and their supporting cast. Depending on how he does that may determine the amount of production we see from other certain players. There's a few guys I have my eyes on. Chandler Stephenson broke out last year with 64 points and has solidified himself in a top 6 role. Can he carry his consistent play over into 2023? Will Reilly Smith and William Karlsson get back to the level of production from their first couple of years in Sin City? My guess is yes, but I am skeptical. My I'm not as concerned about Smith as I am Karlsson. He popped off for 43 goals in the team's inaugural season, but he's scored just 65 times over the past four seasons COMBINED. That isn't going to get it done especially when you consider the amount of playing time he gets.
The Knights are still a playoff caliber team, but I wouldn't put them on the same pedestal that I put teams like St. Louis, Colorado, and Calgary on. We haven't seen what this team can be under Bruce Cassidy yet. Nor do we know what they're capable of when completely healthy. They have a high ceiling, and are very much capable of making a run if they get back to the postseason. I'm have no doubt that they'll be in the hunt after the all-star break, but the questions regarding health, special teams, and goaltending will continue to linger over this team until proven otherwise. We need to see it to believe it. The one thing we know for sure is that Vegas will still be one of the most electric places in 2023.
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