Do you want to know the most annoying thing in the world? It's when a random YouTube ad plays when you're trying to fall asleep. Suddenly, you hear this loud person who looks like Felipe Carvalho talking about cleaning rags. You certainly don't want to see that during an open heart surgery tutorial, do you?
Sure, there's the trash-talking fan of your rival team that's also a pain. In fact, you can equate them to the annoying YouTube video. But perhaps the most underrated thing that's annoying is when your team's players underperform, leading to your team's untimely demise.
For Vegas Golden Knights fans, that was a cruel reality a week ago. They watched their superstars disappear under the bright lights as they were sent packing in five games. It's not the best look for a team looking to win another Stanley Cup. That's especially true during the regular season, when certain players don't show up.
So who can we express our sheer disappointment in for the regular season? Who fell flat on their faces and never got back up? Here's the thing, dear reader. Four names come to mind in this regard.
These four names didn't have the best 2024-25 season, leaving the Golden Knights in their current predicament. Let's look at what went wrong with these four players and why they're on the list.
1.) Nicolas Roy
Idiotic cross-checking in Game 2 aside, Nicolas Roy saw his point total take a massive dip. Yes, he tied his career-high in goals scored with 15. However, his assist total was nearly sliced in half in 2024-25, dropping to 16 (Roy had 28 the season before).
His other stats saw a noticeable drop, too. He became more predictable and wasn't as much of a factor (stats courtesy of MoneyPuck).
Year | Expected Goals | Primary Assists | Secondary Assists | Takeaways | Giveaways | Defensive Zone Giveaways |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023-24 | 17.4 | 17 | 11 | 41 | 26 | 6 |
2024-25 | 15.5 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 58 | 17 |
Mind you, he played one more game than in 2023-24. He also dealt with a shift to the wing position, where he's uncomfortable. Getting Roy back to being a productive fourth-line driver starts with getting him back to center. That way, he can carry his line and become the same player he was in 2023-24.