Last season was a bit of an anomaly for Vegas Golden Knights defenseman. First, he suffered a brutal hit from Nashville Predators winger Michael Bunting on December 31, leaving him out of commission for multiple weeks. That's no bueno news for the Golden Knights, especially when you need your star players around.
But it doesn't get any better. In Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Original Misfit took a puck to the nose, sending him to the hospital and knocking him out of the game. Golden Knights fans know what happened afterwards (hint: not a great thing).
If you're wondering why this sounds bizarre, consider this for a second. McNabb is the all-time franchise leader in games played (647). He had three straight seasons of 82 games, going from 2022 to 2025. That alone should be lauded, considering that NHL players take all sorts of damaging hits.
But that also rings true for the Golden Knights, who've dealt with their fair share of injuries throughout the years. Players like Shea Theodore, William Karlsson, and Mark Stone have suffered different maladies. You can guess that it's the occasional wrist injury or hurting your spleen. Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles.
The good news? It's a new year, which means a new opportunity for the "People's Bro" to shine. Hopefully, there isn't any bad news that accompanies McNabb this season, especially after an injury-filled 2025-26 campaign that left him on the sidelines. What will be vital for the Original Misfit to achieve success in the 2026-27 season?
How Brayden McNabb will help the Vegas Golden Knights in 2026-27
Once upon a time, McNabb was originally an offense-minded player. We're talking about scoring 17 goals and 40 assists with the WHL's Kootenay Ice (now that's a name) in 2009-10. He followed that up with an excellent 2010-11 performance, scoring 21 goals and 51 assists with the Ice. Mind you, he was the Captain in the latter season, making him important to the WHL club's success.
Alas, that time has passed, for he's taken on a more defensive-minded role. However, that shift has served him well. McNabb has totaled 1,663 blocked shots and 2,034 hits during his 14-year career. The result? He became one of the most important defensive-minded defensemen in Golden Knights history.
The objective is simple: play off of that defensive strength and be the 1D star that Vegas needs. Of course, it helps to get back to that distributing mindset. After all, he's only had more than one offensive point share once in his 14-year career (2014-15 with the Los Angeles Kings, 1.5). But more offensive output will help the Golden Knights alleviate some of the exiting players' productions.
Of course, this is also contingent on McNabb getting back to his Iron Man ways. The Misfit ran into some terrible luck last season, injury-wise, leaving him on the sidelines. If he can avoid being out of commission and get some health luck, that'll mean great things for him and the Golden Knights.
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