The Vegas Golden Knights struck gold when they added Ryan Carpenter off waivers from the San Jose Sharks.
Fans, media and everyone else in between set expectations low for the Vegas Golden Knights. In 2017-18. However, the team and coaching staff had different ideas and turned the tables on the entire NHL. The Golden Knights went out and proved everyone wrong in their very first campaign.
Just about every single player on the Golden Knights roster went above and beyond expectations. Every player bought into Gerard Gallant’s fast transition style of play, and it worked to near perfection. On VegasHockeyKnight.com, we will go over each player with an in-depth analysis and give them a grade based upon their performance during the Golden Knights inaugural season.
Today we talk about the waiver pickup of the year in Ryan Carpenter. Who would’ve thought a player who came in midseason would provide a key role in helping the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup Final. Let’s take an in-depth look at the year the Oviedo, Florida native had in 2017-18.
Carpenter’s 2017-18 regular season actually didn’t begin with the NHL’s newest franchise. Instead, he started the year with the Golden Knights pacific division rival, the San Jose Sharks. And to say the least, he underwhelmed in his time in northern California.
In 16 games played with the Sharks, Carpenter accumulated just one assist. After that, San Jose tried to slide him through waivers in hopes of keeping him in their minor league system. However, Golden Knights general manager George McPhee saw an opportunity to claim the 27-year old and took it.
The script completely flipped when Carpenter switched colors from teal to steel grey and gold. It took him a bit to get acclimated to head coach Gerard Gallant’s style of play. However, the Golden Knights newest player made an immediate impact when he received consistent playing time.
In 36 games played with Vegas, Carpenter totaled nine goals, five assists, and 14 points. Not earth-shattering numbers by any stretch, but what can you expect from a bottom six forward? His numbers actually translated really well on the third line as he created chemistry primarily with Cody Eakin and Alex Tuch.
Although, Carpenter’s performance in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs was extremely forgettable. In 17 postseason games, he notched just five assists in the teams run to the Stanley Cup Final. There was little to no production on the Golden Knights second and third lines during the Cup Final versus the Washington Capitals. Perhaps if just one player like Carpenter stepped up, we could be talking about a defending champion.
Carpenter deserves a solid grade for being the best waiver pickup of the season in the entire NHL. He did everything and more than what was asked of him. The only downside was a below average postseason from an offensive standpoint.
Grade: B-
All in all, Ryan Carpenter grew into Gallant’s system rather quickly, and he should continue to raise his game as it is his contract year. However, the Vegas Golden Knights should not pay Carpenter if he goes off in his contract year. All of the Golden Knights prospects will likely be here in 2018-19 and with so few roster spots remaining, it’s tough to see Carpenter in a Vegas sweater next season.