When William Karlsson set the Vegas Golden Knights single-season goals record in the inaugural season, it was seen as a benchmark for the season's excellence. It served as a reminder of the inaugural season's importance in Golden Knights history, creating a standard that had to be upheld.
After all, scoring 43 goals isn't easy. You must stay relatively healthy throughout the season and play consistently good. Heck, even Jack Eichel's 94-point season in 2024-25 was tough to pull off.
Imagine trying to score 50 goals or even breaking Karlsson's record. It's not easy to do and the averagae man would falter at the mere thought of doing this.
However, three Golden Knights stars wouldn't do such a thing. In fact, these three players are more than capable of establishing a benchmark that'll be tough to overcome for years.
Let's meet these three players and see what they must do to get there. These names might surprise you... or not! It depends on how you look at things.
1.) Pavel Dorofeyev
Scoring 35 goals as a 24-year-old is a good start. You've gotten 13 on the power play and have a devastating shot in the process. On top of that, you have incoming weapons that'll revolutionize the Golden Knights' game.
All of this will lead fans to believe that the single-season goals record is within reach for the Russian winger. He has the tools and advantages necessary to pull this off and beat William Karlsson's record.
2.) Tomas Hertl
Last season, Hertl scored 32 goals. That was almost good enough for the team lead in goals, making him an essential piece to the puzzle.
However! There's a catch.
The 31-year-old got 14 goals on the power play. While Dorofeyev gets a pass because, well, he's young, Hertl can break this record if he does better in even-strength play. If he can establish himself in a similar role up front, expect him to surpass 43 goals.
3.) Jack Eichel
Because why not? Eichel has a career-high of 36 goals set in 2019-20. Everyone is always going to point at the focal point and say he's on course to break the record.
It's the "Golden" rule, if you will. Ironically, if he matched career-high in goals in 2024-25, he would've been the first Golden Knights player with 100 or more points in a season. Why not do that this season?