"Say it ain't so!
Your drug is a heartbreaker."
-Weezer, "Say It Ain't So"
I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a Vegas Golden Knights fan post this after a heartbreaking Game 5 loss. It wasn't the news Golden Knights fans were hoping to hear, especially against their hated rivals.
However, it's time to look back on what was and what wasn't during the 2024-25 season. It was a year of highlights (and lowlights), consisting of wins galore.
It didn't matter if it was the fanbase cheering Jack Eichel or booing Ilya Samsonov. The Golden Knights turned in another consistent performance and shocked the hockey world. Nobody thought the team would perform like they did after a tumultuous offseason, turning in 110 points and the Pacific Division crown.
With that, let's examine the regular season and the postseason. Combine them together and you get...
*Drumroll*
...The final grade! What grade did the Golden Knights earn for all their troubles?
Regular season: A
Everything went as you would've wanted for the Vegas Golden Knights. You won the Pacific Division, you got 110 points, and you got 50 wins. Everything was laid out for you to make a deep Stanley Cup playoff run.
On top of that, you saw specific players have career years. That included Jack Eichel (28 goals and 94 points), Pavel Dorofeyev (35 goals, a team-high), and Tomas Hertl (a franchise record 14 power play goals). With players performing at high levels, everything looked promising for the Golden Knights.
Therefore, Vegas gets an A for an incredible effort throughout the season. Sure, they might've had a slow month or two (i.e. January). However, it's a moot point when you set a franchise record with 275 goals.
Stanley Cup playoffs: D+
...And that's where the compliments end. It's been mentioned numerous times, yet it bears repeating. The Golden Knights only had one win of more than one goal this postseason. That came on a buzzer-beater in Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild.
There's also the issue with lackluster performances from key players. Where was Hertl throughout the playoffs? Three goals and two assists aren't cutting it anytime soon. What about Dorofeyev and his one goal and one assist?
In fact, a deeper look reveals how unreliable these two have been through the postseason. Avert your eyes because this might melt your retinas (stats courtesy of MoneyPuck)!
Goals | Assists | Shots On Goal Per Game | Shooting Percentage On Unblocked Shots | High Danger Unblocked Shot Attempts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tomas Hertl | 3 | 2 | 2.6 | 9.1% | 3 |
Pavel Dorofeyev | 1 | 1 | 3.1 | 2.9% | 2 |
Obviously, other disappointments come to mind. That includes Adin Hill (3.15 GAA and a save percentage of .887) and Ivan Barbashev (one goal and one assist). But these are the main culprits for a sluggish run that never materialized.
Therefore, the group gets a D+ for a lackluster effort. Say what you want about the individual efforts and who played well. But the group looked tired and uninterested overall. That won't cut it in the current Stanley Cup contention window.
Overall: B-
Honestly, I can't shake the feeling of disappointment from my mouth. This group had everything laid out in front of them to make a deep run. The chips were on the table for them to go all in.
However, they just didn't do enough to get the job done. They were uninterested in competing after winning Game 3 of the second round. They coasted through January, thinking life would be easy for them afterwards.
There's a major problem with this team, starting with individual effort. When it comes to the postseason, they don't care about winning another Stanley Cup as much because they've already done it. Yet, there's a fanbase that wants another and expects an array of Stanley Cups.
If this group doesn't change its mentality, it'll end its contention window with only one Stanley Cup. Then, it'll be a case of "what could've been" with the franchise and how they could've done more.