This season brings back most of the Golden Knights that won last season’s Stanley Cup. In a sense, it’s a bit of deja vu. Considering the hot start and Vegas being atop the Western Conference, it should come as no surprise for Golden Knights fans. Yes, even Paul Cotter is back.
Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, and Cotter are leading Vegas back to the top. Vegas even managed to bring back Adin Hill and Ivan Barbashev in the offseason, re-establishing themselves as Stanley Cup contenders.
However, there is one noticeable difference. Reilly Smith was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2024 third-round pick in the offseason. There were some caveats to this, such as Smith‘s age (he’s 32) and Vegas’s need to give younger talent a chance.
That younger talent includes Cotter, who has the opportunity to prove himself. The former fourth-round pick brings plenty to the table in his own right, which will be a boon for the Golden Knights.
Of course, he’s sharing time with other young studs such as Pavel Dorofeyev and Nicolas Roy. Still, Cotter has some desirable attributes that can help the Vegas Golden Knights. Here are three things that the native of Canton, Michigan, brings to the table.