Why the Vegas Golden Knights will win the 2020 Stanley Cup
The Vegas Golden Knights will win the Stanley Cup in 2019-20.
Yes, that’s right. We have just declared that the Vegas Golden Knights will lift the greatest prize in all of sports should hockey return this year.
A bold statement perhaps, but the Golden Knights are built to win right now and they were at the peak of their powers prior to the NHL going on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under Head Coach Peter DeBoer Vegas went a stellar 15-5-2, while they ranked high in a number of possession-based metrics.
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They really were hitting their stride and all signs pointed towards this being the year that the Knights made history by becoming one of the fastest expansion teams to win a championship.
And that hasn’t changed despite the current climate.
The hottest topic in the hockey world right now is the NHLPA voting yes to the 24-team Playoff format, and the NHL are expected to do the same in the coming days.
With 16 teams contesting Play-In games in order to punch their postseason ticket, the Knights and the other top seeds will receive a bye.
They will also take part in an in-conference three-game tournament while the Play-In games are taking place in order to knock off any rust, while the tournament could go towards seeding for the Playoffs.
Whatever the final form the 24-team format takes place, the Golden Knights are sitting pretty and are well-placed to succeed.
Granted, as it stands the Knights will face either the Nashville Predators or the Arizona Coyotes in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
While both teams struggled during the regular season, the Coyotes boast two elite talents in Taylor Hall and Phil Kessel and the Predators pack a hell of a lot of firepower.
However, to be the best you have to beat the best and there will be tougher tests lying in wait for the Golden Knights if they are to embark on a deep postseason run.
However, apart from maybe the Colorado Avalanche, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins, there aren’t many teams that should truly scare Vegas.
Just look at how the roster, as it is currently constituted, is constructed.
Vegas will enter the Playoffs with one of the best goalie tandems in the NHL in Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner, not to mention that Fleury will be fully healthy and recharged which is bad news for the rest of the field.
The blueline, led by rising star Shea Theodore, looked a lot more solid and balanced following the Trade Deadline acquisition of veteran Alec Martinez, who knows what it takes to win having won two rings with the LA Kings.
Then you have the wow factor which is the potent top six, featuring stars in the ilk of Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty and William Karlsson.
Both Stone and Pacioretty, along with Alex Tuch, should be healthy and good to go by the time hockey resumes and that is huge news for the Golden Knights.
Plus, with Chandler Stephenson having really sparked his offensive game into life in Sin City, coupled with the emergence of depth forward Nicolas Roy, the Knights can now rely on some form of secondary scoring which will be key in the postseason.
Consider too that this group seems to have really bought into what DeBoer is selling, then everything is in place for the Golden Knights to fulfill their destiny in 2019-20.
And that’s why we think they will go on to lift the greatest prize in all of sports this summer.
The Golden Knights have really found their mojo under DeBoer and they have an abundance of riches throughout the roster.
When you also consider that the Knights could have home-ice advantage (literally) if Vegas is chosen as a Hub City for the Western Conference, then that is another advantage to add to the list even without the presence of fans.
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So, everything considered, we are pretty confident in stating that the Vegas Golden Knights will be crowned Stanley Cup Champions in 2019-20 should hockey return this summer.