Ladies and gentlemen, the 2026-27 NHL season is nearly upon us. That means that our time will be spent at City National Arena and T-Mobile Arena to root on the boys. That also means that the scorching-hot temperatures will be a thing of the past... for now, at least.
Anyway, the most wonderful time of the year's nearly upon us and no, I'm not talking about Christmas. It's the hockey season, where starved fans can finally feed their hunger for competitive games and see the boys in Las Vegas try for a second Stanley Cup.
With that, let's look at the overall lineup structure. Plenty of noteworthy names are awaiting their positions within the lineup to see who else they'll play with. Keep an eye on players like Tomas Hertl, Mitch Marner, and William Karlsson.
First, let's dive into the forward group and give a personal take on the lineup. Remember, this isn't set in stone and is only an opinion. The lineup could change on Opening Knight against the Chicago Blackhawks. Still, let's have some fun with this!
Top Line: Ivan Barbashev, Jack Eichel, and Mark Stone
This is essentially the bread-and-butter line that fans have seen for the past few seasons. Last season, this was Vegas's fourth-most effective line with an xGoals % of 58.6% (minimum 100 minutes). They also had the team's second-highest xGoals for, clocking in at 17.7.
Personally, it should be business as usual for the top group heading into the 2026-27 season. The Golden Knights can rely on this group to compete with the league's best in a regular season format. If worst comes to worst, they can always bump Marner up to the top unit for more speed.
Second Line: Brett Howden, Tomas Hertl, and Mitch Marner
There's a compelling case that William Karlsson could be on this unit after a solid Stanley Cup playoff performance with Marner. It was a huge part of why the former Maple Leaf led the NHL in postseason points. But a strong case can be made for Hertl to be here, too.
Marner performed well with Hertl on his line, with the Hertl-Marner-Dorofeyev line ranking third in xGoals % during the regular season (61.4%). While Dorofeyev is gone, Ryan Craig can toy with the fun idea of putting Victor Olofsson on this line. As for Howden, he has shown himself worthy, especially since he was part of the top-producing line in this category with Karlsson and Marner during the playoffs (57.7%, minimum 50 minutes).
Third Line: Victor Olofsson, William Karlsson, and Braeden Bowman
The projected lineup on Daily Faceoff has William Karlsson bumped up to the next unit because of his playoff performance with Marner. But there's a good reason why he's here with Victor Olofsson and Braeden Bowman. You have plenty of goal-scorers with Olofsson and Karlsson here. But what about the young Bowman?
Well, this is where the Original Misfit can serve as a good mentor. He's well-versed in the offensive scheme and can pick apart opposing defenses. Here, Karlsson can help the young winger with his finishing and give him more confidence in the offensive zone.
Fourth Line: Alexander Holtz, Nic Dowd, and Marc Gatcomb
Gone is Keegan Kolesar and his millions of hits. This group will focus more on defensive finesse and puck possession, with Dowd at the center of it all. However, the big focus of this group is Alexander Holtz.
This looks like his last opportunity to right the ship in the Golden Knights' lineup. He's projected to make the left wing position on the fourth line, where he can finally break through and provide some scoring. If not? Well, his last stop will be with the Henderson Silver Knights.
Womp womp.
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