We are reminded every single year that you shouldn’t get too carried away by what happens in preseason, good or bad, but we should be encouraged by what we have seen from the Vegas Golden Knights so far.
Forget the 4-0-0 record because, like we said, results don’t matter in the preseason and there should be no significance placed on the outcome of exhibition games. In saying that, however, the Vegas Golden Knights have given us plenty of positives so far.
For starters, if there is one thing you can take away from wins in the preseason then it is the fact that it builds momentum and creates confidence in the locker room, which can be translated through to the regular season.
It begins to cultivate a winning mentality among both veterans and rookies, which in turn will add to the winning culture that has already been well established within that Vegas Golden Knights locker room.
Winning, and again we stress that it is the least important factor in preseason, generates a buzz around the arena and we all know that you don’t need to pump up Knights fans anymore than they already are. They will be loud and ready to go come opening night anyway, but there will be an extra spring in their step after what they’ve seen in the preseason so far.
This team is a well-oiled machine and, with a plethora of their big guns about to hit their prime years and under contract for the foreseeable, they are bang in the middle of their Stanley Cup window and they have all the weapons at their disposal to wreak some serious damage this year.
Marc-Andre Fleury, albeit in one game, looks locked in already as do Mark Stone and Jonathan Marchessault, who have both impressed and looked sharp in small sample sizes during the first four exhibition games.
And then there’s Max Pacioretty who has tallied four goals and three assists for seven points in just two exhibition games, and the veteran forward looks in midseason form already which is hugely encouraging for the Golden Knights given that they will need a huge year from the former Montreal Canadiens Captain.
Cody Glass has emerged this preseason as the high-end stud we’ve all thought he was, and he has amazed with his elite playmaking ability which could be enough to force him on the opening night roster in the left wing role on the third line.
He boasts a high ceiling and he looks primed and ready to not only make the leap to the NHL, but absolutely dominate in the majors too. And there will be another rookie on the opening night roster with five prospects currently battling it out for one spot, with Dylan Coghlan arguably leading the way at the moment.
So, not only does the present look bright for the Golden Knights but so does the future and there has been lots to be encouraged about through the preseason so far. This roster as it is currently constituted looks dialled in and ready to go and we should get a preview of the opening night lineup in the final two exhibition games.
Nothing is won in preseason and the Vegas Golden Knights certainly won’t get any trophies for compiling a winning record during this time of year, but they are generating a feel-good factor which could be crucial to flying out of the gates once the proper stuff gets underway in October.