We’re into that part of the offseason now where NHL Power Rankings are rife and the Vegas Golden Knights are getting plenty of attention for all the right reasons.
Now, let’s preface this by saying that offseason lists don’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things and a lot of the predictions are based on guesswork and hype depending on how the Vegas Golden Knights and the 30 other teams in the NHL fared in free agency. So, in other words, don’t take any of these lists as gospel. They are meant as a bit of fun and to generate content during the down days of the summer.
However, it is interesting from a Golden Knights perspective that a lot of media outlets and sports books in Las Vegas are extremely high on a team who have made the postseason in each of their two years of existence.
We already did a piece last week on one oddsmaker making the Knights even-money favorites to win the Pacific Division in 2019-20, in addition to predicting that they will be the second best team in the entire NHL behind the Tampa Bay Lightning.
And now others are jumping on the Golden Knights bandwagon. NHL.com did a Super 16 list, ranking teams based on a combination of their exploits in 2018-19 and the moves made this offseason. It was no surprise to see the Lightning top of that list and the Stanley Cup champions just below them at No.2.
Vegas, meanwhile, were ranked 11th with 78 points and were sandwiched in-between the Colorado Avalanche at 10th and the Florida Panthers at 12th, with both of those teams having made significant tweaks to their rosters during the offseason.
ESPN and their hockey editorial staff were more generous to the Knights, however, ranking them fourth in their bumper NHL Power Rankings, with only the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs above Vegas on the list. Everyone is still high on Tampa despite their postseason blowout, and rightly so, while the Leafs are an interesting choice for third.
They’ve arguably changed their roster the most out of any of the Stanley Cup contenders, and they are still yet to thrash out a new deal with Mitch Marner, who led the team in points last year with 94 points (26 goals, 68 assists) in 82 regular season games. Will all of that disruption to the team be a hinderance or will the new boys mesh nicely with the current core and help to push the Leafs closer to a Stanley Cup?
That will remain to be seen but I don’t think we would have too many complaints if we said that the Golden Knights are probably a safer bet to go further in the playoffs at this point, mainly because they have kept the core of their roster intact while bringing some key depth players back and they also have a slew of high-end rookies in the ilk of Cody Glass and Nic Hague ready to make the leap to the NHL.
SportsNet also have the Golden Knights inside their top 10, although it is worth noting that their Power Rankings are based on who improved the most during free agency, hence why the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils are sitting at one and two respectively.
Whatever way you study and look at these vast array of Power Rankings, however, you can’t get away from the fact that the Vegas Golden Knights are considered by many to once again be a strong contender for the Stanley Cup. They reached the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural year but suffered a heartbreaking First Round exit to the San Jose Sharks last year.
Despite not making a massive offseason addition, the Vegas front office did a superb job of keeping their roster intact and making subtle additions in and around some of their key pieces. They achieved their biggest mission of locking William Karlsson down to a eight-year deal that will carry an average annual value of $5.9 million.
They navigated the stormy seas of living in a salary cap world and, although they had to trade defenseman Colin Miller and forward Erik Haula in order to create the cap space needed to re-sign Karlsson, the Knights still look strong in all areas and the likes of Karlsson, Mark Stone, Shea Theodore, Nate Schmidt and Jonathan Marchessault are all signed through for at least the next few years, putting Vegas in the best possible position to compete for multiple championships.
There is also added competition between the crease now following the trade on Tuesday that saw the Golden Knights send David Clarkson’s albatross of a contract and a fourth round selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for goalie Garret Sparks. Although he is coming off a hugely disappointing year in the NHL, Sparks has consistently lit up the AHL and he’s clearly got some talent, so maybe a change of scenery will help to resurrect his career in the big leagues.
All in all, the Vegas Golden Knights are in win-now mode and they certainly boast the weapons and the firepower, coupled with an elite goaltender in Marc-Andre Fleury, to be able to win the Pacific Division and compete for the Western Conference title next year. They are perfectly equipped for a deep postseason run and following an offseason where they made subtle but significant moves to their roster, the experts are right to be high on this team heading into 2019-20.