Are the Golden Knights Still a Contender? 

holy cow this is on point

Samsonov plays a gambling style in net, so he should be a fit in Vegas.

@@michaelkirkpatrick7483 ha Ha !

Yeahhhhhhh, hope vegas enjoys him when he's unplayable...

I hope that wasn’t a pun lol

Contenders to make the playoffs. That's about it.

So much this.

They have good and big Cs: Eichs, son of Karl and Hertl. They relatively young too. They built to win yoffs.

Sometimes losing a lot of players can be a good thing

@@youngandfree93especially with Stephenson and Marchy getting over paid

They big boys. Built to win in Yoffs

All guys that are first line skill. I mean you could argue Roy is more a top tier second line guy but like he is only getting better. So it will be interesting.

Eichel is great, but much more injury prone. Marchy never misses a frick’n game! Being smaller is a benefit for him - he dodges and misses the hits! Stone, Eichel and Karlsson get injured regularly and miss too many games. Petro and Hill missed a ton of games too! The team cannot contend with 3 - 5 of their best players injured and out at the same time!

They’ll always be my favorites. So many fond memories from the first year!

i agree with you that GM mcCrimmon will be working the phones if there is a slow start. he will be working the phones also if the team is doing ok to good, and he sees a chance to get another piece that can make a difference.

Honestly, outside of Stamkos, the Lightning are not cutthroat. They just didn’t have the cap space for Palat and Killorn when they left.

As a Lightning fan, at least we don’t trade guys away while they’re signing autographs for fans or let them find out via social media…

@@bodhithomas5684 honestly, you don't know much about tampa if you don't think TBL is cutthroat lol. seems many tampa greats end their careers else where. st.louis, lecavalier, richards, boyle, khabibulin and now stamkos. because the tampa front office decided to move on as opposed to giving "thank you for your service" contracts the way PIT, CHI, WSH and DET did.

Or find out by their locker room access card being turned off​@@GWh135

Logan wanted to be traded. He wasn't happy not being the #1. The fans were the ones blindsided by the news of the trade. As a big fan of Logan, I wish he would have stayed. He is a quality guy and it's definitely a big loss. He's got ice water running through his veins and he will be a star given the right circumstances. I hope he does well in Washington!

I dunno if I trust Hill to be the #1 after the up-and-down season he had last year. Especially after missing a lot of time due to injury. Seems like Vegas always has issues with goalies staying healthy, huh?

This looks pretty accurate

Nah, Vancouver takes it again. Just swap your first 2. VGK fan

Eichel’s price is fine as long as he is healthy when you need him.

Stone can stay perfectly healthy until the trade deadline, then the injuries will rise up outta nowhere until playoff time

Can the knights GM cheat to add to their roster ?

The goalie program at VGK is really solid. If Sammy if coachable he will be good. I will miss Logan...he's definitely a Dawg.

Yes!! Tampa Bay has one of the best farm programs in the Syracuse Crunch, a lot of our cup players who won back to back lord Stanley’s also won the Calder together before the farm team moved to Syracuse and some came in to Syracuse after they had moved. Tampa Bay is very good at developing stud players.

I did no know he was a first pic. Good info.

Don’t be happy for that traitor marchessault he stab the team in the back could have had same deal in Vegas and lied about it

@ScottStenlund-x9m They were a wildcard team this year WITH Marchessault, Stephenson and Mantha. It’s not unreasonable to think they might miss after losing those guys and not replacing them

@ScottStenlund-x9m Olofsson and Holtz on the 2nd line is not stacked lmao. They’re only stacked on D

Since when do they look underwhelming on paper? Among the best center depth and blue line depth in the league. Less so on the wings and in net, but C and D are pretty critical.

@@kftc1980 If you go back and look at their cup winning team, their roster didn't look as impressive as other recent cup winners like Tampa and Colorado, but they had a bunch of guys who were solid in their role and were committed to the Vegas culture/identity. The same can be said for this upcoming season. While their center depth and defense have certainly become major strengths, their middle 6 looks weak on paper, which is why many aren't as high on this team this year. Yet Vegas always finds a way to either find a reliable player for a certain role or bring in guys who take advantage of those situations and become crucial contributors to their success. I'm saying that Vegas has always been overlooked regardless of how they look on paper even after winning a cup, and people need to start taking them more seriously

@@NHLchaos only less impressive from a top heaviness perspective, but from a depth perspective they were absolutely stacked.

@@kftc1980 mhm everyone underestimates their depth

Hertl has a lot of hard miles on his body for how young he is. If he can stay healthy, sure, but he has a tendency to play through injuries that definitely diminish his game.

​@@ianhall6614 hertl is a beast when healthy same with Stone

Every team is a villain to someone.

They are villains. It just proves that their sneaky tactics dont work.

@@NothingToPointOut24 they won the cup in 2023.

@@name-vi6fsrefs held their hands all the way

@@name-vi6fs Maybe I should've put dont "always" work.

He sure was in 2023 Yoffs

He can be when healthy, and with the right finishers around him.

They’ll probably get the 32nd pick & lift their 2nd cup, just to leave you feeling incensed and not wanting to watch hockey anymore

They're not going to implode like the Sharks did in 2020 (which gave Ottawa the #3, still stings) but good chance it'll be top 15.

Yeah could possibly be 10-15

@ScottStenlund-x9m they really need to figure out a way to get cap space bc if stone and Hertl can’t stay healthy how are you guys goin to stay competitive? Yes your defensive core is stacked which is vital but how can you rely on two inconsistent goalies (via play or injuries). I just think you should’ve kept Marchessault. You’re right they are better than the kings on paper Fs

And then they accidentally won a 2nd world series while trying to tank. Still one of the craziest things in sports.

No

It really depends if Hill and Samsonov can be 100%. We have seen Hill play his best (2023 playoffs, first half the NHL season 23-24 and 23-24 playoffs. Something I remember I'm no Leafs fan but back in March I was watching a Canes vs Leafs game and I remember at the start announcers saying how good Samsonov had been playing he was undefeated in the first half of March and had really good stats before kinda crumbling after Canes started to play good. But the point is. This tandem is a consistency tandem. It's either A. Hill plays his best hockey and plays consistent and is the main starter while Samsonov plays as a backup B. If Hill and Samsonov are both playing their best it will be split Hill as starter Samsonov as alternate or finally C. Where one or both are playing too inconsistent or bad at the moment and they let Schmid in to test his game after playing for HSK. But we have seen something interesting with Samsonov and Schmid. Both have a good build for goaltenders they are very tall and big. I think the defence in front of them has been horrible this past year. Everyone knows the Leafs defence despite having some of the best two way players in the league Marner and Matthews they still aren't great on defence and then for New Jersey again we already know how just not great it was last year. Both will benefit and play much better with proper defence and a better team. So really all 3 of these goalies being NHL ready and skill goaltenders. Is just can they stay consistent and will they use the best goalie in the moments they need to as the starter? I look at Thompson as a big loss. Hill being the bigger goalie more blocky and LT as the more athletic speedy one. But I do think having 6'3 Samsonov is good to go a tiny bit down in size but stay big like if Samsonov plays his best hockey him and LT can be close but I do think LT is better. But then having Akira Schmid who fits the build of Vegas tenders being 6'5 and a huge guy is also good. So I kinda prefer having Samsonov and Schmid to be honest. Again though. Consistent. Sorry for the essay lol.

Marchy was offered the same deal as one he signed and lied about it fuck that traitor

Before he went to Chicago, he spent a year in W8innipeg.

@@TheHockeyGuy ah right on, I was thinking just heading into this year

They’re tanking for the lottery seeing as the lottery didn’t change at all and teams can rest assured if they are lousy till March. They can tank from Feb on and finish bottom ten

They won’t be the representatives of the West. The Oilers are going to be DAMN GOOD.

@@LevRomanov-nn6gy Except they didn’t have any expectations back then

@@samuellarsson101 Vegas performs their best when everyone has no expectations or doubts their performance.

Atm its hard to see them not make the playoffs. Its up to the rebuilding teams really. But like central, top of division is just as tough, if not tougher. If they just wildcard in like this year, a stacked Oilers will stomp them. Sooner or later McCrimmin’s brutal moves gonna catch up. Without pics or prospects other GMs just gonna point at his bluechips or shrug their shoulders

I understand being optimistic but you’re being willingly ignorant if you don’t think there’s a good chance this team misses the playoff next year with this roster. There’s too many uncertain factors to confidently say this team is gonna be good. And that’s coming from a Vegas fan

@@Bnz640 Of course there is a chance for it.

@@superblitz who's recipe us that

Hertl is a center.

@@idthejc this review had him playing wing. Why I said if he isn’t a Center not that he isn’t a Center.

Petro has a full NMC/NTC. He's not leaving unless he wants to, and with four kids under the age of 10 that seems about as likely as human beings figuring out how to breathe in space. Don't get me wrong, I think he's starting to slip too, but that NMC/NTC is how we even secured his services in the first place. He's on the boat for the entire voyage.

@@Alistor76 that's why I said "if anything." You'll never know. Could waive it. Probably won't. But maybe.

disagree. The team defense really makes many of these goalies. Vegas Drafts very well and always with defensive players. they buy forwards through trades. I like Logan but Cassidys style is a goalie friendly defense, He will not have that In Washington.

for reference. WHITECLOUD,KORCZAK,HAGUE and Theodore was a give me pick up from Anaheim.

Maybe if Whitecloud has another off season or if Hague goes not great (since I thought Hague did good last year and in playoffs) maybe they use either Korczak & Whitecloud as two younger fast defensemen or Korczak and Hague to have smaller young speed and still pretty young but big guy. So maybe Korczak and Hague could be a good duo for a third line. But if Whitecloud plays at his best I'd say use him.

I think fans will show, as a Vegas local. A lot of people are priced out of going to games, it costs a lot for nosebleeds even. But if they start sucking, ticket prices will get cheaper and then people like myself and many other locals will be able to go.

@@goldbucketboys I think if anything you'll still see the opposing teams fan show up, so the attendance numbers might not suffer too much. I went to 2 Knights game though and 1 against the Oilers was pretty much half Edmonton fans, and one against the Coyotes was all Knights fans and it was a really strong atmosphere. I hope Vegas stays a success for the Knights but I think its always easier to be interested when a team is playing well.

the team's presence in the local community is insane. yeah there are bandwagon fans, but vegas is a hockey city now. people think it isn't because it's the desert, but our city is gonna support the team even if they suck lol

@@teikouarc I only question it because LV has so many transplants these days. I live in Arizona and saw the Coyotes crowds when the team was good and it was a drastic difference than when they weren't that good. Also tons of AZ locals have been priced out over the last decade or so, so its no surprise that the Cotes attendance became even more of an issue. And LV is getting to be as much of a melting pot as AZ is.

@jagermaisterretsiamregaj4935 Here's hoping your wrong! I think they'll have to figure out what line he'll work with, but Cassidy has proven results in finding the formula.

@jagermaisterretsiamregaj4935 11 p in 27 g

Yeah… you’re gonna be dead ass wrong.

I mean who replaces them in the pacific that’s the thing Ik Vancouver and Edmonton make it but who else

@@nicolasdeperno2000 seattle with the 3rd place spot. They’ve made two massive additions getting Stephenson and Montour. Young guys like Shane wright and Ryker Evans should be full time NHLers too. It should be a good season for the kraken.

@@AwesomeZach oh I forgot about them ur right they were a playoff team a year ago to so ya improved and bounce back they got a good chance and ya probably 3 pacific teams and 5 central make it