Do you want to go BOLD today, Vegas Golden Knights fans? I mean, REALLY bold, Golden Knights fans. I'm talking about sitting at 19 at the BlackJack table and saying, "Hit me." Now that takes major cajones to pull off.
What I'm talking about are three massively bold takes. If we want to get crazy, we better grab some ghost pepper-flavored wings for this trip. Just make sure you don't drink any milk and go for the water, instead. This will clean out your system!
For the record, I wanted to make the Golden Knights winning the Stanley Cup as one of my takes. But is it actually "bold" when other people are saying the same thing? I mean, when you grab Mitch Marner for your team, you're destined for great things (don't tell that to some of the haters in Ontario).
However, these three bold takes will work perfectly fine. These takes will whet your appetite for Golden Knights hockey before Wednesday, leaving you hungry for more. Better grab some napkins because these takes are bold!
1.) Jack Eichel, NOT Mitch Marner, will win the Hart Trophy
Look at Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner's stats for a second. What you'll see is that the former "Core Four" member had better overall numbers than his new teammate last season (stats courtesy of MoneyPuck).
Player | Goals | Assists | Points | Primary Assists | Shooting % | Shooting % On Unblocked Shots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mitch Marner | 27 | 75 | 102 | 47 | 15.6% | 10.3% |
Jack Eichel | 28 | 66 | 94 | 27 | 12% | 9.2% |
Sounds good, right?
But looking deeper at the statistics, you'll notice some jaw-dropping abnormalities from last season.
Player | Corsi | Fenwick |
|---|---|---|
Mitch Marner | 51% | 52% |
Jack Eichel | 53% | 54% |
With his new sidekick on his line, Eichel will flourish even more. Yes, people might be skeptical of this take because he doesn't score much. But when you're second on the Golden Knights in shots on goal (233), you only expect that total to go up.
Therefore, don't sleep on the deserving superstar who needs a new deal. He has plenty to prove and is in a contract year. Going beyond his 2024-25 numbers will thrust him into the Hart Trophy conversation, where he'll win it all.
2.) Mark Stone will score more than 80 points
Yes, I know what you're thinking.
"Mark Stone hurt himself watching this play. Now he has to go on LTIR!"
Max Pacioretty lands a heavy hit on Jack Hughes 👀 pic.twitter.com/k2TNLeqzJU
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 11, 2024
Har har har. But in all seriousness, he still can put up big numbers when called upon. Last season, the Captain averaged 1.02 points per game with the Golden Knights. If he played a full season, he would've gotten over that hump without much pressure.
Considering how well he's looked with William Karlsson and Reilly Smith on his line, that shouldn't be too surprising to predict. The trio feed off each other well and set up plays perfectly, making them an underrated scoring unit for the Golden Knights.
3.) The Golden Knights' penalty kill will improve to be a Top-10 unit
Last season saw the Golden Knights have the second-best power play in the NHL. Yes, you read that right. They clocked in at 28.3%, sitting only behind the Winnipeg Jets (28.9%). But what about the penalty kill?
They killed 75.7% of their penalties, good for... 26th in the NHL. Yikes.
However, there's good reason to believe that the unit will be better in 2025-26. First, you have Reilly Smith returning for a full season to pair with his buddy, William Karlsson.
But you're also adding a physical force in Jeremy Lauzon. He's a pestilent figure who loves hitting people, making him perfect for these situations. That should be good enough to launch the unit into the Top 10 this season.