There is a saying we use a lot in my native home of England, and it goes ‘it never rains but it pours.’ The Vegas Golden Knights are certainly finding that to be true right now.
After dropping the bombshell that Gerard Gallant was out as Head Coach, along with Assistant Coach Mike Kelly on Wednesday, the Vegas Golden Knights announced Peter DeBoer as their new man behind the bench.
DeBoer being the same DeBoer that was Head Coach of the San Jose Sharks, and was called a clown by Gallant last year.
After trawling through the wreckage of a decision that sent shockwaves through the hockey world, everyone was ready to get back to business and focus on matters on the ice.
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But, less than an hour or so before the Golden Knights were due to take the ice against the Ottawa Senators in DeBoer’s first game as the Head Coach of this franchise, this team was dealt another punch to the gut.
Because it was revealed that franchise center William Karlsson was out of the game and is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
Karlsson is the heartbeat of this team and he plays a vital role in both the offensive and defensive zones.
Granted, the forward only has two points (two assists) in his last nine outings, but there is no doubt that he would have played a crucial role down the stretch.
It isn’t clear how long Karlsson will be out for, but it is a crushing blow to the Golden Knights for two main reasons.
Firstly, Karlsson is an offensive juggernaut and he’s currently fourth on the team in points with 34 (10 goals, 24 assists), while he’s also one of Vegas’ best two-way forwards and he has a 51.2 winning percentage in the faceoff circle, 32 blocked shots, 32 hits and 42 takeaways.
Those kind of stats will no doubt earn him some votes for the Selke Trophy, by the way.
Secondly, Karlsson’s absence will also cause massive problems when it comes to the depth of this team.
It is no secret that the Golden Knights have lacked secondary scoring all year, and it remains to be seen who will fill such a sizeable void.
The obvious answer would have been Cody Glass but the rookie is also currently week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
Could Paul Stastny be bumped up to the top line with Chandler Stephenson slotting in as the second line center? That would allow Cody Eakin and Nicholas Roy to fill the bottom six center roles, which would make the most sense.
Stephenson could also be an option to slot in for Karlsson on the top line given his speed, and Stephenson would be a better option for Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault.
However new Head Coach Peter DeBoer decides to compensate for another injury, the loss of Karlsson will impact this team hard.
Other players will now need to step up to the plate and carry the load in order for the Golden Knights to snap a four-game losing streak and start living up to lofty expectations.
It is also a blow for Karlsson who has never missed a game in the NHL because of injury, while he was the only player in franchise history to have laced up his skates for every Vegas Golden Knights game.
Karlsson had previously played 234 consecutive games, which is an impressive feat in itself.
We can only hope that William Karlsson is back out on the ice for the Vegas Golden Knights sooner rather than later.