Vegas Golden Knights: Three bold predictions for 2020
With a new year brings renewed hope and optimism for the twelve months that lay ahead, and the immediate future looks very bright indeed for the Vegas Golden Knights.
With a roster that is built to win right now, the Vegas Golden Knights are in prime position to really enjoy a potentially historic start to the new Decade.
Boasting one of the most potent top six forward units in the entire NHL, coupled with a future Hall of Famer in goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, the Knights have the weapons to really go deep in the postseason.
And, after suffering a crushing First Round exit to bitter rivals the San Jose Sharks in last year’s playoffs, the Golden Knights will be even more determined to make some noise in the postseason.
You could say that might be one of their New Year’s resolutions, and let’s hope Vegas sticks to this one unlike most of us who will probably be looking at our own resolutions in the rearview mirror by Monday.
Anyway, we went over some other New Year’s resolutions the Golden Knights might have earlier this week, so we thought we would try something different today.
Given that a new year is all about setting goals and challenging ourselves, we decided to make three bold predictions for the Vegas Golden Knights in 2020.
Just don’t come at us on Twitter this time next year if some of these go drastically and horribly wrong.
Let’s get started…
1. Glass to break out
It has been a whirlwind rookie year for Cody Glass so far during the 2019-20 regular season, featuring a plethora of twists and turns.
From scoring in his first National Hockey League game to suffering what seemed to be a concussion, Vegas’ first-ever draft pick in franchise history has certainly been on one never-ending learning curve.
With 12 points (five goals, seven assists) through 36 games, including six points on the power play, Glass has shown flashes of the high-end potential that made the Knights take him with the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
It hasn’t been plain sailing, though, given that the 20-year-old has been used on the wing for the majority of the year, while he has also missed time with an upper-body injury.
However, we predict brighter times ahead because we have a funny feeling that Glass is on the cusp of a true breakout.
After all, this is Glass’ rookie year and he’s still a kid so a transition period was always to be expected.
Just look at Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, the top two picks at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Both players are considered generational talents but both have taken time to adapt to the majors, although they are starting to shine with Hughes in particular coming into his own as of late.
And we think Glass will also start showing the NHL what he’s really about. After being forced to take some time out due to injury, the forward will have watched some tape and worked on honing his craft further.
He will also be better for having gone through some turmoil and come out the other side of it, and that should motivate the prospect to really attack the second-half of the regular season with everything he’s got.
Plus, he could have a more concrete spot in the lineup should the Golden Knights go out and acquire some secondary scoring help prior to the Trade Deadline, which we think they will, so that will only serve to help the prospect flourish.
So, we predict that Cody Glass will have a huge start to 2020 and, while it may not be enough to propel him into the mix Calder Trophy, it will set him up nicely for his second season in the NHL.
2. Golden Knights will make a big acquisition in the off-season
One hallmark of this front office is the fact that they aren’t afraid to be aggressive when it comes to improving the roster.
That has been shown time and time again from Tomas Tatar (granted, that one didn’t really work out) to Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone.
And we predict that the Vegas Golden Knights will send ripples through the NHL world again by making a huge splash during the off-season.
Because, while they have limited cap space this year, the Knights will have around $15,045,000 in cap space this coming summer.
That should only increase once a decision on what the salary cap for 2020-21 will be is made, while they will also shed some contracts too.
With the blueline needing a radical makeover, it wouldn’t surprise us if General Manager Kelly McCrimmon tries to go after St. Louis Blues Captain Alex Pietrangelo should the elite defenseman hit the open market.
Pietrangelo belongs in the upper echelons of elite defensemen in the NHL, and the 29-year-old has 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) through 42 games this season.
It would make perfect sense for the Golden Knights to throw all their chips into the middle of the table in order to pursue a player in the ilk of Pietrangelo, given that they are in dire need of an absolute horse on the blueline.
Arizona Coyotes forward Taylor Hall, Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug and Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby could be some of the other big names available in free agency, and we predict that the Vegas Golden Knights will be in play for at least one of them.
3. Golden Knights to make Stanley Cup Finals.
Okay, so given the strength of this roster, maybe some would argue that this isn’t such a hot take or a bold prediction.
However, given how ultra competitive the West has become, there isn’t going to be an easy path to the Stanley Cup Final no matter who you face.
If the postseason began today, the Vegas Golden Knights would take on the Winnipeg Jets in the First Round.
And, even though the Jets have been decimated on the blueline, they have still been ultra-competitive this year and they boast an elite goaltender in Connor Hellebuyck.
They could also welcome veteran defenseman Dustin Byfuglien back into the fold at some point, giving them even more strength.
With an array of forwards who all contribute, it wouldn’t be an easy task for the Golden Knights to take down the Jets and the path would only get even harder after that.
The Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche both boast Stanley Cup caliber rosters, especially the latter, while the St. Louis Blues won it all last year and they look arguably even better than they did during their championship-winning year.
However, the Golden Knights can call on a hell of a lot of experience within that locker room and they also have the luxury of being able to boast a future Hall of Fame goalie in Marc-Andre Fleury, who knows what it takes to win with three Stanley Cups to his name.
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They also have one of the most potent top six forward units in the entire league, and I fully expect the front office to significantly bolster this roster further at the Trade Deadline.
So, with all that in mind, I am prepared to stick my neck on the chopping block and boldy predict that the Vegas Golden Knights will be appearing in the Stanley Cup Final in 2020.