3. Revitalise the goaltending
The Vegas Golden Knights won the jackpot when they selected Marc-Andre Fleury in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion will waltz into the Hall of Fame once he retires and, while many felt that maybe Fleury had passed his peak, the goalie has been elite for the Golden Knights.
With a career .915 Save Percentage and a 2.53 Goals Against Average for Vegas, Fleury has become very much a cornerstone piece of this franchise.
However, we’ve started to see signs this year of Fleury’s hockey mortality and, at 35-years-old, father time may be starting to catch up.
The Knights had also hoped to ease Fleury’s workload this year but, having punched well below their weight, it is likely that they will have to really ride their future Hall of Famer down the stretch.
Now, that would normally be fine but given Fleury’s rough year, playing him on an almost nightly basis does raise some question marks.
Granted, Fleury hasn’t been all bad and he has pulled off some huge stops to bail out his team on countless occasions.
But, in the last month or so, the netminder has regressed and he hasn’t been helped by a blueline that has left him out to dry time and time again.
The Knights can’t really afford to rest him for long stretches, though, given the fact that Malcolm Subban is a bit of a wildcard as a backup.
With a 2.98 Goals Against Average and a .898 Save Percentage, Subban blows hot and cold and is known for his lapses in concentration.
However, Fleury is in dire need of some help and Head Coach Peter DeBoer will have to figure out a strategy for his goaltenders down the stretch.
After all, there is little room for error now so you need elite goaltending and it is going to be crucial for DeBoer to try and revitalize Fleury, while working out how to best utilize Subban and ensure he’s also put in the best possible situation to succeed.
You won’t win anything without elite goaltending and the chances of the Vegas Golden Knights making a deep postseason run this year will depend largely on whether or not DeBoer can spark his goalie tandem into life.