Vegas Golden Knights: Top 5 players of the Decade (ish)
Although they were not around for much of the Decade, the Vegas Golden Knights still gave us many a memorable player to root and cheer for.
Entering the National Hockey League in 2017, the Vegas Golden Knights will be looking ahead to starting their first whole Decade as a professional hockey team.
But they can certainly look back at the latter years of this Decade with fond memories having made a stunning run to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural year, before establishing themselves as a genuine contender.
They have constructed a core of high-end players that are capable of contending for multiple championships, while they have also had players who have come, made sizeable contributions and then left.
So, on that note, let’s run through our top five Vegas Golden Knights players from this Decade, which was a short one for obvious reasons…
5. David Perron (2017-18)
As already mentioned, the Vegas Golden Knights have had a plethora of players who only stayed for a year or so, but still made a huge contribution to this franchise.
Put David Perron in that category.
The forward was selected by the franchise in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft as a reliable bottom six forward, who could provide secondary scoring.
However, a change of scenery proved to be the perfect tonic for Perron who exploded offensively and went on to put up career numbers for the Golden Knights.
He carved out career-highs in assists (50), points (66) and power play points (18), while the 31-year-old tallied a further nine points (one goal, eight assists) in the postseason.
Perron was a valuable and potent offensive weapon for the Knights and, although he returned to the St. Louis Blues after just one year in Sin City, he will go down in franchise history for the role he played in helping the Knights reach the Stanley Cup Final, in addition to some of the clutch moments he provided.
And, it is fair to state that the Vegas Golden Knights could do with David Perron’s scoring touch right now.
4. Deryk Engelland
Okay, so he may not go down as the most talented or productive player in the early history of this franchise, but Deryk Engelland will be considered one of the most important.
One of the first players taken in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, Engelland already had a history with the city of Las Vegas having resided there for years in addition to playing for the Las Vegas Wranglers in the ECHL.
Engelland was picked because of his leadership abilities and his knowledge of the city, and both were put to the test early.
In the wake of the tragic shootings on the strip on Oct. 1, 2017, Engelland brought his new teammates together and led an effort to help the city to heal in anyway they could.
They attended blood drives, met with first responders and were there for families who had tragically lost loved ones.
And, with the city still grieving, Engelland took the microphone at the Golden Knights’ home opener at T-Mobile Arena and delivered a message that forged an unbreakable bond between city and team.
Engelland is the heartbeat of this team and he will go down as the first official face of the franchise.
He will forever be woven into the rich tapestry of the Vegas Golden Knights, and he’s also been a constant on the ice having racked up 191 regular season games for the franchise.
3. William Karlsson
Talk about hitting the lottery.
Following months and months of scouting and player assessment, the Golden Knights felt they were getting an unpolished gem in William Karlsson when they took him in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.
However, not even then General Manager George McPhee could have predicted just how big a home run the pick would turn out to be.
Once a bottom six forward with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Karlsson had put up 50 points in 183 games and wasn’t exactly a star name in the NHL.
However, put on a top line with Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault, Karlsson absolutely thrived in Vegas and the forward broke out in spectacular fashion.
He set a new career-high in points with 78 by the end of 2017-18, also setting new career marks in goals (43), assists (35) and power play points (16).
Karlsson also won the Lady Byng Trophy in his debut year as a Golden Knight, and he has since established himself as a franchise center.
With 167 points in 207 regular season games with the Golden Knights, William Karlsson will go down as one of the best players in the young history of this franchise.
And, with his prime years ahead of him, the best is probably still to come for Karlsson and the Vegas Golden Knights.
2. Mark Stone
Although he hasn’t even been with the team for a calendar year yet, Mark Stone is without a doubt the most naturally gifted players to have laced up the skates for the Vegas Golden Knights.
A premier two-way forward, Stone is at the peak of his players and there was a reason the Knights paid a steep price in order to lure him away from the Ottawa Senators at the Trade Deadline last year, before signing him to a bumper extension.
Stone is an elite game-changer with a wicked release and he can just produce moments of brilliance out of nothing.
Players in that ilk don’t come along all that often and that’s why then General Manager George McPhee was more than happy to shell out $76,000,000 in order to lock Stone down on a long-term contract.
Tallying five goals and six assists for 11 points down the stretch, Stone showed his importance during the postseason with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in seven games.
He was also a Selke Trophy runner-up after leading the entire NHL in takeaways with 122, and his imposing size coupled with his natural talent makes Stone a real rare commodity in the NHL.
Stone has also produced the goods so far this year, putting up 16 goals and 24 assists for 40 points through 43 games, in addition 29 blocked shots, 34 hits and 53 takeaways.
Mark Stone is one of the best at his craft and a lot of the Vegas Golden Knights’ hopes for a Stanley Cup runs through the forward.
1. Marc-Andre Fleury
Could there have really been any other choice?
The Vegas Golden Knights truly struck gold (excuse the pun) when they selected the future Hall of Famer in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.
When building a franchise, you can only dream of having a three-time Stanley Cup champion fall into your lap and Fleury and the Knights have been a match made in heaven.
From his lovable personality off the ice to his never-ending heroics on it, Fleury has become the poster boy of this franchise and I wouldn’t be surprised if his jersey is retired by the team eventually.
Backstopping the team to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural year, Fleury has perhaps played the biggest role in this team’s incredible success since entering the league in 2017.
Racking up a plethora of highlight-reel saves, including THAT unbelievable glove save against the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, Fleury continues to perform at the highest level.
He’s still one of the best goalies in the NHL right now and he can be relied upon to win games on his own.
You can’t win championships without elite goaltending and one of the main reasons why the Golden Knights are a contender is because of the fact that they’ve got one of the best between the pipes.
Next. Top 5 moments of the decade. dark
He’s loved by his coaches, his teammates and the fans and the Vegas Golden Knights couldn’t have wished for a better player to build their team around than Marc-Andre Fleury.
And that’s why he’s our player of the Decade.