Vegas Golden Knights could end up with a Tom Brady-like figure

We are all still getting used to life without the Vegas Golden Knights and sports in general as the world continues to grapple with the coronavirus crisis.

As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc and leave a serious impact on all aspects of life, the Vegas Golden Knights and the rest of the sports world are currently on hiatus.

When sports and life in general will return to normal is anyone’s guess at this stage, but in the meantime it is our jobs to keep you entertained by filling that void in your life left by the temporary postponement of sports.

And the events in the NFL last week got us thinking.

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Now, unless you took self-isolation to the next extreme, you will be aware that the unthinkable happened and Tom Brady actually left the New England Patriots in order to sign for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Free Agency.

It was a shock to the system for many given that Brady had spent 20 years with the Patriots, winning six Super Bowls and playing his part in establishing one of the most powerful and dominant dynasties in all of sports.

Not only that, but Brady is one of the best to have ever done it with a 63.8 pass completion percentage, 74,571 passing yards and 541 touchdowns to go with a stellar 219-64-0 record.

However, that particular era is now over and Brady will finish his distinguished career with the Bucs and maybe another ring.

But Brady’s legacy will always be finely interwoven with the Patriots and that got us thinking…

What player on the current Vegas Golden Knights roster could become as synomous with the Golden Knights as Tom Brady was with the New England Patriots?

Granted, different sports and the quarterback is a very unique position, but we decided to give it a go anyway…

Marc-Andre Fleury

Okay, so the future Hall of Famer is certainly closer to the end of his career than he is to the beginning of it, which means that he will likely spend less than five or six years with the Golden Knights in total.

However, without Marc-Andre Fleury you could argue that Vegas wouldn’t have scaled the heights they have since entering the NHL in 2017.

After all, the 35-year-old made a plethora of stunning stops to help lead the Golden Knights to the postseason in their inaugural year, before performing more heroics as they somehow reached the Stanley Cup Final.

And Fleury has largely been consistently brilliant for the Golden Knights, save for a rough period this year, while he can always be counted on to make an absolute jaw-dropping stop.

Whatever happens over the next couple of years, Fleury has already established himself as the face of this franchise and he will forever be adored by Golden Knights fans, just as Tom Brady will always be loved and cherished by Pats fans.

Shea Theodore

Defense wins championships and in Shea Theodore the Vegas Golden Knights have got a real lynchpin on the blueline.

Discarded by the Anaheim Ducks, Theodore has really found his game with the Golden Knights and he took that next giant leap this year.

Prior to the NHL going on hiatus, Theodore was absolutely lights out for Vegas with 13 goals and 33 assists for 46 points in 71 games, setting career-highs in a number of categories.

There is no doubt that Theodore is riding an upwards trajectory towards morphing into a premier two-way defenseman, and he could be the heart of the Golden Knights for years to come just as Tom Brady was for the Patriots.

William Karlsson

A bottom-six grinder with the Columbus Blue Jackets, William Karlsson has truly flourished with the Golden Knights having well and truly unlocked his potential.

Now a franchise center, ‘Wild Bill’ is one of the most effective two-way forwards in the NHL and he is very much the heartbeat of this team.

With 180 points (82 goals, 98 assists) in 227 career games for Vegas, Karlsson has transformed himself into a top-line center that can provide offense by the bucketload while being incredibly effective in his own zone.

And, locked down through 2026-27, Karlsson could well become the Golden Knights’ first true legend, especially if he can help this franchise win a Stanley Cup or two.

Mark Stone

Along with William Karlsson, Mark Stone is probably the most likely candidate to become the equivalent of Tom Brady for the Vegas Golden Knights.

After all, he is the true definition of a superstar in the NHL and he was brought to Vegas as the final piece in a Stanley Cup puzzle.

One of the elite two-way forwards in hockey right now, Stone really can do it all and he’s under control in Vegas through 2026-27, giving him plenty of time to bring multiple championships to Sin City.

Likely to win a Selke Trophy at some point too, Stone could end up being just as important to the Vegas Golden Knights as Tom Brady was to the Patriots when it comes to winning championships and being a franchise star.