It seems like forever since the Henderson Silver Knights got off on a hot start. They were in the Top Three in the Pacific Division and had hotshot prospects such as Carl Lindbom and Braeden Bowman. Life was good for the AHL club as they joined their Nevada brethren at the top of the hockey hierarchy...
...Until it wasn't.
Currently, the Silver Knights stand in seventh place in the Pacific Division with a record of 9-8-1-0 and 19 points. They're 3-7-0-0 in their last 10 games, signaling a fall to a traditional mean. So much for being up there with the Tahoe Knight Monsters and the Vegas Golden Knights.
Of course, that can be equated to not having Lindbom or Bowman on your team. The netminder posted a GAA of 2.65 and a save percentage of .912 last season (36 games). This season? He has a GAA of 1.00 and a save percentage of .958 in two games. While that's a tiny sample size, it still shows the Stockholm native's capabilities.
But what about the wunderkind forward? He has seven goals and five assists in 12 games for Henderson. However, he might have staying power with the Golden Knights with four goals and three assists in 10 games. He's projected to end up with 27 goals and 20 assists in 67 games with Vegas, making him a key contributor.
Will the Henderson Silver Knights get Carl Lindbom and Braeden Bowman back?
It's more likely that Lindbom comes back to Henderson, considering Vegas's goaltending situation. The Golden Knights have Carter Hart waiting in the wings, where he provides veteran stability in net. While Lindbom has had his shining moments with the Golden Knights, he needs more seasoning at the AHL level.
Plus, Bowman has shown that he fits in seamlessly within the Golden Knights' lineup. The undrafted rookie is displaying excellent hockey IQ and positioning, fitting in well within the units. It doesn't matter if it's on the power play, where he gravitates towards the slot, or if he's running on Jack Eichel's wing. Bowman looks comfortable in the lineup, making it tough to justify taking him out. Still, anything can happen.
Getting a great netminder back isn't bad for Henderson, though. Like Vegas, the Silver Knights have dealt with a goaltender-by-committee season, seeing names like Hart and Jesper Vikman get starts. What better way to fix the unit than by getting your Swede back? How Swede would that be?
The reinforcements can't be the only players helping the Silver Knights
Let's be honest here. You can have players such as Bowman or Lindbom return to the team. However, it doesn't mean anything if th current roster doesn't do anything. Look at what happened with the Golden Knights in the first two games that Mark Stone came back.
For Henderson, they need forwards like Mathieu Cataford (one goal and four assists) and Matyas Sapovailiv (three goals and four assists) to start coming up big. It'd be nice to have more depth scoring to ease the pressure off your blue line and goaltending.
It's a similar situation to the one the Golden Knights have dealt with this season. They've dealt with a lack of depth scoring from key veterans, leaving them to bench Reilly Smith and Brandon Saad. In turn, it's putting the AHL club in a difficult position as well. Perhaps they can call up Thanos, the balance expert, to even things out?