The 2026-27 NHL season is fast approaching, with the Vegas Golden Knights set to begin their journey back to the Stanley Cup Final on September 29 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Right now, the media and fanbase feel the franchise is at a crossroads. Will this year’s team be able to build upon last season’s run to the Final, or will the core, who are a year older now, take a step back?
Moreover, younger, hungrier teams are coming up in the Western Conference, making their attempt to win the Pacific Division for three straight seasons a bit harder. No matter how the season unfolds, there are going to be some great games and magical moments, which leads us to three bold predictions for the Golden Knights in 2026-27.
Golden Knights netminder Carter Hart wins more than 30 games
Only two goalies have won more than 30 games in a single season with the Golden Knights: future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury and Stanley Cup champion Adin Hill. Last year, in just 18 games, Carter Hart posted a 11-3-3 record and went 14-8 in 22 playoff games. He’s already amassed 25 wins in 40 games, so if he remains the team’s go-to goalie for the 2026-27 season, there’s a good chance he’ll become only the third goalie to win 30 games in a single season.
Historically, Hart has collected only two 20-win campaigns, with a personal best of 24 with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2022-23. In seven NHL seasons, he’s produced a 107-96-32 record in 245 games, good enough for a .436 win percentage.
Vegas will finally get a 100-point player, but will it be Eichel or Marner?
Only one player in Golden Knights history has scored over 90 points in a season: former second overall pick Jack Eichel. Last year, he finished the campaign with 90 points, coming up four points shy of the franchise record he set in 2024-25 with 94 points. Through 11 years, Eichel has never tallied 100 points in a season, something that Mitch Marner achieved in 2024-25 with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Considering how much success Vegas has had since joining the league in 2017-18, they are still looking for their 100-point player, something that could happen in 2026-27. Despite losing Pavel Dorofeyev, who led the team in goals (37), one of the team’s big-name stars like Eichel and Marner will need to step up and fill the void. There’s no denying that the Golden Knights have the depth to let their stars be playmakers or be the ones to finish off plays with lamplighters.
Golden Knights complete their first Pacific Division three-peat
In 2025-26, Vegas won its fifth Pacific Division crown, outlasting the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks. Despite changes in the division, including new head coaches in Los Angeles and Edmonton, none of the teams in the Pacific, except the San Jose Sharks, worked hard to revamp their rosters. Meanwhile, at the bottom, teams like Vancouver, Calgary, and Seattle did little to become playoff teams, meaning the same four teams at the top will battle it out for the top spot.
Considering Los Angeles lost Anze Kopitar, their franchise player, and the Oilers didn’t really improve their goaltending situation, only the new kids on the block, Anaheim and San Jose, are the clubs to keep an eye on in the race for the Pacific. Even with a young coach behind the bench, the Pacific Division is the Golden Knights’ to lose, and it won’t be a walk in the park, but with their talented lineup, they can collect their first three-peat in franchise history.
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