Imagine this nightmare, dear reader. You're in bed when you suddenly wake up. Your eyes open up and gaze upon a beige ceiling. You try to get up, yet you can't move. It feels like someone named Boogie is sitting on your chest and won't let you get up.
Mind you, he has an Oilers jersey on and he reeks of Mountain Dew.
You start feeling like you're running out of breath as you struggle to shake the heavy weight off your body. You squirm and budge, yet you have no luck in shaking this weight off of you. You scream in pain as you feel hopeless.
That's when you wake up.
It was all a nightmare (and you weren't reading Word Down Magazine).
You're back in your Vegas Golden Knights-decorated bedroom and realize you were trapped. Here's hoping you never experience such a travesty ever again.
So, what's the point of the topic today? Why, it's none other than nightmare scenarios for the Golden Knights in 2024-25.
There are many things that can happen in a season, ranging from injuries to trades. Heck, slow starts can hamper a season and leave you behind. Be sure to bring your rabbit's feet and four-leaf clovers, dear reader. We're diving into the three nightmare scenarios that could derail the Golden Knights' season.
1.) The Golden Knights don't get the health luck they got from 2024-25
Want to guess who the ten best players in games played were last season? Believe it or not, some surprising names will appear on that list.
Vegas Golden Knights Players | Games Played In 2024-25 |
|---|---|
1.) Pavel Dorofeyev | 82 |
1.) Keegan Kolesar | 82 |
1.) Brayden McNabb | 82 |
3.) Noah Hanifin | 80 |
3.) Brett Howden | 80 |
6.) Tanner Pearson | 78 |
7.) Jack Eichel | 77 |
8.) Zach Whitecloud | 74 |
9.) Tomas Hertl | 73 |
10.) Alex Pietrangelo/Nicolas Roy | 71 |
Names like Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl, and Alex Pietrangelo appear on the list, which gave the Golden Knights stability during the regular season. Heck, even Shea Theodore (67 games played) and Mark Stone (66 games played) didn't miss too much time with the Golden Knights last season.
Combined with surprising contributions (more on that later) from players such as Keegan Kolesar (12 goals and 18 assists), Brett Howden (23 goals and 17 assists), and Pavel Dorofeyev (35), this wouldn't have been possible without everyone staying healthy. Imagine what would've happened if Vegas didn't have so much trouble with Edmonton in the second round.
Now, compare that table to 2023-24, where injuries persisted.
Vegas Golden Knights Player | Games Played In 2023-24 |
|---|---|
1.) Jonathan Marchessault | 82 |
1.) Ivan Barbashev | 82 |
1.) Brayden McNabb | 82 |
4.) Keegan Kolesar | 79 |
5.) Paul Cotter | 76 |
6.) Chandler Stephenson | 75 |
7.) Michael Amadio | 73 |
7.) Nicolas Hague | 73 |
9.) Brett Howden | 72 |
10.) Nicolas Roy/William Karlsson | 70 |
Much different, right?
But that goes back to a broader point. Hockey is a physical game where you take punishment at every turn. Sure, half of those players in 2023-24 are gone. But trying to maintain a clean bill of health in two straight seasons is hard, specifically if you're playing a physical brand of two-way hockey.
Like 2021-22, the injury bug would bite Vegas here. Hard. Thus, this talented team of megastars misses the playoffs and everyone gets a big laugh out of the whole ordeal.
2.) Key role players don't duplicate their career years from 2024-25
The players in question here are Kolesar, Howden, and Dorofeyev. Last season was terrific for the trio for many reasons, whether it was providing an offensive spark, forechecking and backchecking efficiently, or elevating their physical brand of hockey.
But what would happen if they didn't get on the score sheet as much as 2024-25? What if Howden was back to looking like 2025 Justin Bieber instead of 2010s Justin Bieber? What if Dorofeyev doesn't match his 35 goals from last season?
Fans can't forget that Howden never hit double-digits in goals prior to 2024-25. They also can't forget that Dorofeyev was coming off his first full season with the Golden Knights last season. It's possible these players (including Kolesar) struggle to find the net compared to their career years.
This logic also applies to Adin Hill (2.46 GAA, .906 save percentage, four shutouts). He has a new-look blue line and different two-way players in front of him. The pressure will be on him to duplicate his campaign. Otherwise, it'll be an early exit for the Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
3.) The Golden Knights age shows and leads them to be eliminated in the second round again... by the Edmonton Oilers
Many pundits and experts are labeling the Golden Knights as Stanley Cup contenders with good reason! They have Mitch Marner in tow and expect to dominate the NHL landscape. However, there's a slight problem with the team: its overall age.
Before the preseason starts, the Golden Knights have 12 players who are 30 years or older (yes, that includes Pietrangelo). While fans shouldn't hold their breath on Robert Hagg or Jaycob Megna getting much ice time with Vegas, you still see noteworthy names in the lineup.
That includes Mark Stone (33), William Karlsson (32), and Tomas Hertl (31). Having aging players on the team is a side effect of being in a Stanley Cup contention window, especially if you're dealing with future changes in the salary cap.
Mind you, this isn't a problem that will hurt the team this year. It'll also hamper them next season and the year after, leaving them searching for younger, better options.
Last season, fans saw an Oilers team that looked faster and more offensively coherent than the Golden Knights. That could become a bigger problem this season if age becomes a factor and slows the team down. Now, that would be nightmare fuel on another level.