When you look at Daily Faceoff's lineup projections for the Vegas Golden Knights, you'll see something interesting. No, it isn't Marc Gatcomb in the lineup, although that's eye-opening in itself. Instead, it involves a certain first-round pick finally getting his opportunity.
I'm talking about Trevor Connelly, who's projected to make the Golden Knights' lineup. In fact, he's projected to be on the same line as Tomas Hertl and Victor Olofsson. That's plenty of solid goal-scoring experience that can give the native of Tustin, California, the boost he needs in his game.
Imagine seeing the trio scoring tremendous goals together during the regular season. The three amigos would light up the NHL world and make the Golden Knights one of the deepest teams at the forward position. That would also make Vegas a dangerous Stanley Cup Final contender, much to the chagrin of the haters.
That isn't the only reason why the Golden Knights should bring him on-board for Opening Knight. He brings far more to the table than people realize, especially as a 20-year-old. Get your surfboards out and ride the wave because we're diving into three reasons why Connelly deserves to be in the lineup.
Trevor Connelly has the moves to make the team
At Thursday's practice, I watched Trevor Connelly rush down the ice in a drill with Tomas Hertl and Victor Olofsson. The native of Tustin, California was handling the puck and was looking to pass. The only difference was that he shot the puck instead, blasting the puck past Adin Hill.
Mahomes-like, if you will.
Anyway, the former first-round pick has the confidence and the handles to make the main roster. He's the perfect rush candidate for a Golden Knights team that's older than most NHL clubs (average age of 30 entering the 2026-27 season, tied for third). Speaking of veterans...
Connelly can benefit from having veterans mentor him
It isn't just Hertl and Olofsson that will help Connelly become an NHL-ready player. It's also names like Shea Theodore, Noah Hanifin, and William Karlsson who can help him grow into a stellar player.
While age might be concerning for the Golden Knights heading into the 2026-27 season, that also helps younger players like Connelly and Braeden Bowman develop into promising forwards. Vegas needs as many younger guys to replace the outgoing veterans as possible and mentoring the first-round pick goes further than people realize.
His resume speaks for itself
Last season was a spectacular season for the Golden Knights winger. He scored 14 goals and 35 assists with the Henderson Silver Knights, yet his history goes far deeper than that. Just look at his days in the amateur scene.
2019-20 is a perfect example of this, where he scored 87 goals and 50 assists with the San Diego Saints 14U AA 1 team. He also scored 55 goals and 70 assists in two seasons with the USHL's Tri-City Storm. Connelly's resume makes him perfect for the Golden Knights' lineup, given that he can score goals without any added pressure.
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