Doubt constantly looms over the Golden Knights. Since their inception nearly eight years ago, many have ridiculed and looked down on the club. This preseason has been no different. Management discarded eight formidable Knights players. Some would say the Knights lost the heart of the team. With the loss, hopelessness always follows, but despite such negative emotions, the Knights always get back on their feet.
Six notable additions and the matured younger rookies have made headlines this preseason. With a victorious sweep for the 2024 Rookie Faceoff, applauded improvements for training camp, and a respectable performance in the six preseason games, the Golden Knights look capable coming into the regular season.
Losses and Additions
The Las Vegas Golden Knights had quite the offseason. Eight players recently departed from the franchise. Subsequently, the defensive and offensive lines took a substantial hit. Offensive powerhouse players like Johnathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson, Paul Cotter, Michael Amadio, and William Carrier are all sporting new jerseys coming into the 2024-2025 NHL regular season. On the back end, All-Star Goaltender Logan Thompson and star Defenseman Alec Martinez departed.
New hopeful additions to the VGK roster are Forwards Zach Aston-Reese, Tanner Laczynski (free-agent), Victor Olofsson (a former Sabre reunited with Jack Eichel), Tanner Pearson, who was on a professional try-out but was recently signed by the Golden Knights, and Alexander Holtz. Backend additions include two new goaltenders: Akira Schmid and Ilya Samsonov. Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin are projected to play a full season with the Knights. VGK management is focused on reimplementing the Golden Knights’ offensive strength and defensive depth for the team while improving issues exposed last season.
Preseason Performance
Preseason activities started with the Golden Knights’ underclassmen battling in the 2024 Rookie Faceoff. Setting the tone and reiterating the “misfit mentality,” the rookies swept the competition, winning every game. Soon after, training camp started and held eleven first-round draft picks. Among the first-round draft picks, the youth had plenty of opportunities to prove themselves during the 2024-2025 NHL Preseason games. September 22 marked the start of the preseason competition for the Knights, where many new and older players caught the eyes of fans and coaches.
The Golden Knights had many players rise to the occasion during the 2024-2025 NHL Preseason games. Generally speaking, the majority of the roster made positive impressions and consistently tipped the scale in favor of the Golden Knights. Pavel Dorofeyev is one of these consistent players. Dorofeyev scored four goals and garnered two assists in the preseason games. Even though the Golden Knights fell short on the scoreboard in a few games, the losses, for the most part, still provided desirable gameplay. The Las Vegas Golden Knights enter the regular season with a 3-3 preseason record.
Where They Shine, and Where to Improve
As many of us know, hockey can be an unpredictable game. A club can either show up or fail to perform in any matchup. Although, there are some specific areas where the Knights shined, and where they need refinement. Head Coach Bruce Cassidy has continued to make line adjustments from the beginning of the preseason games to the end.
With key players missing (Chandler Stephenson and Johnathan Marchessault among others) big questions are in many minds. Can Keegan Kolesar step up and get pucks down low in place of William Carrier? Will William Karlsson be starting this season? Who will be the next adaptive Chandler Stephenson? While some questions will not be answered until further along in the regular season, the Golden Knights did reveal areas that needed improvement. The preseason games were littered with penalties against Vegas. Even goaltender Adin Hill caught a delay of game penalty during the final exhibition game.
Preseason Recap
Out of the six preseason games, each averaged roughly five penalties from Vegas. Alongside penalties, Vegas had trouble sustaining offensive rushes. The Knights have always been gifted on the rush but had issues maintaining puck possession in the offensive zones during the earlier games. Although the Golden Knights had respectable defensive plays, there were noticeable growing pains in Nicolas Hague and Noah Hanifin’s pairing during game six.
The Golden Knights allowed the San Jose Sharks to come back last Saturday. In approximately three minutes, San Jose scored three goals. If the Golden Knights are determined to make the playoffs this season, such a crumble of the defense cannot happen. On the contrary, the Golden Knights created more scoring opportunities. New linemates like Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev are a match made in heaven, able to read one another instinctively. Victor Olofsson and Jack Eichel when playing together, have had telepathic communication as well. In general, the Knights have experienced some growing pains, but the overall depth of their lines is still hard to match.
Coming Into the Regular Season
The Las Vegas Golden Knights have been impressive this offseason. Yes, they have had periods of defensive breakdowns and issues with discipline, but in truth, many players have performed extremely well. Tanner Laczyinski, Tanner Pearson, Jack Eichel, and Zach Whitelcloud, among many more, have had plenty of “wow” moments.
If the Golden Knights can quickly learn their wings and new centers, there is no need to worry about the playoffs coming into this season. However, with fourteen surgeries last season heavily disrupting the Knights’ playoff aspirations, we must not forget the long-reigning kryptonite of the Golden Knights: Their health.
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