Former Golden Knights Star Is Showing Vegas Exactly What It Lost

Chandler Stephenson didn't score against the Calgary Flames on Sunday, but he still had a hand in plenty of what went right for Seattle.

The former Vegas Golden Knight picked up two assists in the Kraken's 6-1 win, helping Seattle put six goals on the board for the second time in its first three games.

Stephenson now has a goal and three assists through Seattle's first two games of the season.

His first assist Sunday came on Bobby McMann's goal in the opening period. He added another late in the third when Jordan Eberle finished off Seattle's sixth goal of the night.

Not a bad way to start the season.

Stephenson has already been pretty productive against Calgary. He scored in Seattle's season opener against the Flames, then followed it up with two assists in Sunday's rematch.

That's worth noting from the Vegas side, considering how much time Stephenson spent with the Golden Knights.

He was with the organization for five seasons and played 327 regular-season games in a Vegas uniform. During that time, he scored 75 goals and added 162 assists for 237 points.

Then there were the playoffs.

Stephenson played 65 postseason games with the Golden Knights, including 22 during the 2022-23 run. He scored 10 goals and 10 assists that postseason as Vegas went all the way and won its first Stanley Cup.

That's probably the part Vegas fans will remember most.

Before all of that, Stephenson had spent the first five years of his NHL career with Washington. His time in Vegas changed the trajectory of his career, and he became one of the more productive forwards on a team that eventually won it all.

He's moved on now, but he's still producing.

Seattle brought Stephenson in hoping he could provide some offense, and the early returns have been pretty good. Two games into the new season, he's already been involved in four goals.

He didn't need to score Sunday to make an impact.

Two assists were enough.

And for a player who spent five years helping the Golden Knights build one of the most successful stretches in franchise history, seeing Stephenson continue to put up points elsewhere is probably going to feel a little familiar.