VGK: 2018-19 still one to be proud of despite heartbreaking finale

It is normal to still feel raw after the events of Tuesday night as the reality of no meaningful Vegas Golden Knights hockey in the desert until October starts to settle in.

The manner in which the Vegas Golden Knights saw their second season as a professional NHL franchise come to an end means that any positives from 2018-19 will be overshadowed for now.

And more salt will only get added to the wounds the longer the San Jose Sharks last in the postseason, and you’d bet that it could be a while judging on their Second Round opener against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.

But it is important to not lose sight of just how far this unlikely expansion team has come and the gigantic strides it continues to make both on and off the ice.

For starters, General Manager George McPhee has constructed a roster that will continue to remain ultra competitive.

With the formidable top line of Reilly Smith, William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault finding their groove towards the end of the year, coupled with the emergence of Max Pacioretty, Paul Stastny and Mark Stone as an absolute dominant trio, then the Knights can arguably boast two of the best and most potent lines in hockey at their disposal.

Chuck in the likes of Alex Tuch, Erik Haula and Cody Eakin, then Vegas have a tremendous amount of depth and firepower.

Granted, the blueline could do with some tinkering and the upcoming 2019 NHL Entry Draft, along with free agency, will give the franchise the chance to bring in some much-needed reinforcements.

There is of course some salary cap issues to contend with and the small matter of a boatload of contract negotiations to deal with.

Karlsson – who put up 24 goals and 32 assists for 56 points during the regular season, plus five points in the playoff – leads a list of five players who will enter the summer as restricted free agents.

Adding to that is the fact that four players are about to become unrestricted free agents, including assistant captains Deryk Engelland and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.

So, busy times ahead then.

But McPhee’s two-year reign as the hockey leader for this franchise has been spotless and if there’s one guy you would trust to deal with the lengthy to do list ahead, then it would be McPhee.

He has put a team on the ice that both entertains and gets result and their Stanley Cup window remains very much open.

McPhee has also shown that he will go out and bolster the roster with an elite powerhouse if needs be, see Mark Stone, and he will likely to continue to do that as he bids to bring a Stanley Cup to Sin City in record time.

The long-term future for this franchise looks bright too if you take a quick look at the pipeline.

Cody Glass, Nic Hague, Xavier Bouchard and Lucas Elvenes highlight some of the studs Vegas have in their farm system, plus the Knights have a first and a second round pick plus three selections in the third round in their armoury for this year’s draft.

With four other picks to use in the draft as well, McPhee will have ample opportunity to stockpile yet more young studs to his already deep talent pool.

Put it simply; the Vegas Golden Knights are built to win now while being able to contend long in the future.

This franchise is truly thriving off the ice too.

Building off the success created during their inaugural year, where they were ranked fourth in attendance and led the NHL in merchandise sales, the Knights continue to make waves when it comes to their off-ice product.

Known for their truly bonkers pre-game shows (who doesn’t love a bit of Cirque du Soleil?!), random celebrity sightings (hello Lil Jon and Gordon Ramsay) and insane atmosphere among the crowd throughout the games, Vegas has set the new gold standard when it comes to entertainment in the NHL.

Vegas is known as the entertainment capital of the world and the Knights fit in perfectly, with the gamble to send a hockey team to the desert proving to be a hell of a home run.

So, although the wounds from Tuesday’s playoff exit remain deep, it is important to look back on 2018-19 and indeed the last two years with enormous pride.

And then allow yourself to smile because the future of this franchise is looking very golden indeed.