New year, new you. At least, that's how it's supposed to go, right? Anyway, the Vegas Golden Knights are hoping to go for Stanley Cup No. 2 after missing this "golden" (waka waka) opportunity by two games. Those pesky Carolina Hurricanes stopped the Golden Knights with the power of Jordan Staal, Brandon Bussi, and a suffocating defensive structure.
Oh well, new year, new you. The good news is that the Golden Knights are starting the season with practically the same top-six forwards, sans Pavel Dorofeyev. They also have the same defensemen group, except for an outgoing Kaedan Korczak, providing some stability.
Considering that the Pacific Division didn't do too much for their futures, that bodes well for Vegas. Kelly McCrimmon doesn't like to saddle himself with long-term contracts for aging players. That's especially true with Original Misfits who want five-year deals.
Still, the Golden Knights faithful must focus on the present. After all, you'll get in trouble if you look too far ahead and ignore these three burning questions for 2026-27. What are the three things that fans will be asking themselves for the upcoming season?
1.) Who's going to shoot the puck with Pavel Dorofeyev gone?
The obvious answer—believe it or not—points to Jack Eichel. The Olympic gold medalist led the Golden Knights in shots on goal last season with 260, scoring 27 goals in the process. However, there's a caveat with this, specifically with Eichel scoring one power play goal.
So, who else will take on the responsibility? Names like Ivan Barbashev (133 shots on goal), Mark Stone (130 shots on goal), and Mitch Marner (165 shots on goal) will come to mind. Whatever the case, the Golden Knights must utilize a team effort to ensure plenty of goals are being scored.
2.) Do the Golden Knights have enough defense to support the goaltending?
Despite dealing with injuries and disappointing play, the Golden Knights somehow had the league's 12th-best team GAA (2.95). Names like Carter Hart and Akira Schmid kept the ship afloat for stretches of the season, stealing games and leading the Golden Knights to a Pacific Division title.
However, the defenseman group will have a different look for the 2026-27 season. Out go Kaedan Korczak and Ben Hutton and in come Parker Wotherspoon, an underrated two-way defenseman. Can Vegas do enough to ensure that a Stanley Cup Final redux doesn't happen again?
1.) How will Ryan Craig handle the veteran roster?
The Vegas Golden Knights have had their fair share of veteran head coaches throughout their NHL history. In fact, it's been nothing but veteran head coaches as every head coach prior to Ryan Craig had head coaching experience.
However, this season will be different as the former Henderson Silver Knights coach steps behind the Vegas bench. Still, the question looms over whether he can rally a veteran team throughout the 2026-27 season. If he's unable to handle the older team, that will be a massive problem for the Golden Knights' future—and could lead to a quick exit.
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