If you're a Vegas Golden Knights fan, you have plenty of reason to be cheerful. You've clinched the division, have 107 points heading into Tuesday's game against the Calgary Flames, and you have numerous haters jealous of your success. Life is good.
After all, that comes with the sudden emergence of Jack Eichel as an elite player. Scoring 93 points in a season will do that for a player, especially if he's been compared to Connor McDavid throughout his career. The good news? He has a Stanley Cup to his name, while McDavid doesn't.
That also goes for Adin Hill, who's been great for the Golden Knights this season. He's another player you can defend, especially when he has a GAA of 2.47 (sixth in the NHL) and four shutouts. It's a good thing they held onto him, eh?
But not all is perfect in Sin City. There have been some players who haven't pulled their weight this season. That stems from a multitude of reasons, whether it's injuries and old age settling in or being simply underwhelming. With that comes two players in mind.
One of these answers will absolutely shock you. You might look at him and say, "he's been an excellent player during his Vegas tenure." Yes, that's true. But does that statement hold up now? Another player has been underwhelming since he was acquired via trade. Let's see who these players are and why they can't be defended anymore.
1.) Alexander Holtz
Look, I gave the guy a second chance after he lit up the AHL. I thought he learned his lesson. After all, scoring seven goals and six assists in 16 games for the Henderson Silver Knights should heal all wounds, right? Well, it appears that Alexander Holtz has gotten under Bruce Cassidy's skin yet again. That includes three giveaways in Saturday's game against Nashville.
This season, he's scored four goals and eight assists in 51 games. The Swedish forward also has 35 giveaways to his name. 28 of those have come outside of the defensive zone, leading to odd-man rushes. It's no wonder Holtz is currently in Cassidy's dog house right now.
Who knows? He might've taken those harsh criticisms to heart. After all, he did score a power play goal on Saturday. However, winning (or drawing even, at least) the Paul Cotter trade hinges on whether Akira Schmid pans out or not. Remember that the former Golden Knights fourth-liner has 16 goals this season.
2.) Alex Pietrangelo
Now, this isn't a pick of "Oh, Alex Pietrangelo stinks and is underwhelming." He's been an elite defenseman throughout his career and continues to provide sound defense for the Vegas Golden Knights. But it's time to admit that "Father Time" has caught up with the 35-year-old.
His 2022-23 season was remarkable in many facets. It marked a time where he either had a career high in statistics, such as blocked shots (177), or matched his totals. That includes assists (43) and points (54). However, those numbers have become a far cry of what he is now.
Season | Goals | Assists | Points | Blocked Shots | Hits | Takeaways | Giveaways |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022-23 | 11 | 43 | 54 | 177 | 65 | 56 | 52 |
2023-24 | 4 | 29 | 33 | 160 | 46 | 50 | 40 |
2024-25 | 4 | 29 | 33 | 137 | 41 | 24 | 106 |
Don't get me wrong. He's still a useful defender. But it's time to look at him from a different perspective and admit that time has finally caught up with him. That's especially true with the wave of injuries he's dealt with in 2024-25.
Of course, this is the consequence of handing out long-term contracts to elite players. Often, these players break down before your very eyes, leaving an albatross at a specific position. That's no different from Pietrangelo, who's starting to show his age.