The Vegas Golden Knights can bask in Stanley Cup glory this summer, but they'll soon face high expectations to run it back next season. Adam Proteau examines their biggest positive and need for the rest of this summer.
We’re approaching the end of THN.com’s “off-season outlook” series, in which we’ve been focusing on every NHL team’s most recent season, as well as each team’s strengths and weaknesses as the 2023-24 season draws near. We’ve been examining teams in alphabetical order, and today, we’re analyzing the Stanley Cup-champion Vegas Golden Knights.
2022-23 Grade: A+
Biggest Positive Heading Into The Off-Season
Well, when you’re a team coming off its first Cup championship, everything is positive this summer, right?
The Golden Knights powered through the 2023 post-season, first taking care of the overmatched Winnipeg Jets in Round 1, then beating three tough teams in the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers to win it all.
Although the salary cap forced Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon to bid goodbye to a few veterans this summer, the essence of the Golden Knights remains, and they’ve got the talent to win the Pacific Division for the second straight season and go on another deep Cup run.
As per PuckPedia, Vegas is currently $4.16 million over the cap ceiling, but they’ll barely stay under the cap if veteran goalie Robin Lehner and his $5-million cap hit remain on long-term injury reserve. But to bring back netminder Adin Hill at a $4.9-million cap hit for the next two seasons, McCrimmon had to trade away useful forward Reilly Smith to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
That has resulted in a hit on Vegas’ depth at forward, but they still have excellent balance across their four forward lines, and their entire defense corps is returning for 2023-24. If they can stay healthy, and coach Bruce Cassidy gets them peaking at the right time of the season next spring, the Golden Knights have every chance to repeat as Cup champs – something that would make their organization’s rise to power all the more astonishing.
McCrimmon and president of hockey operations George McPhee have constructed a reliable group of players who don’t need to be individual superstars to push the team into the win column more nights than not. They came together, and the stars aligned perfectly for them last season. The same is possible this coming year.
Biggest Need Heading Into the Off-Season
With their defense and goaltending locked up for next season, the Golden Knights most need some help at forward – particularly on left wing, where the quartet of Ivan Barbashev, Brett Howden, Paul Cotter and William Carrier aren’t the most imposing collection of left wingers.
Losing Smith affects this position, but Vegas’ collection of remaining forwards (including Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault, Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson) will be asked to do more heavy lifting as their bottom six forwards attempt to hold their own.
If either Hill or Logan Thompson suffers an injury in net this season, McCrimmon may be in the market for veteran depth goaltending. But as it stands, the most obvious need is fast, preferably-big left wingers – and it may take up until the next trade deadline to address it.
Bottom Line for Vegas This Off-Season
The Golden Knights are right to take a little time to bask in their Cup glory this summer, but before you know it, they’ll be under pressure once again to underscore their burgeoning legacy with another Cup or two.
Now that Eichel is playing like the franchise center he was expected to be in years and years with Buffalo, and now that their blueliners are big, strong and focused, Vegas is leaving no doubt they’re one of the great modern success stories in NHL history. They don’t necessarily rack up highlight-reel outbursts, but they proved last season they can skate and grind opponents into mincemeat and beat them with a speedy, physical game. Expect similar results for the Golden Knights in 2023-24.