Wingers: A-
Coming into the 2024-25 season, there was significant concern about the Golden Knights on the wing. Jonathan Marchessault went to Nashville to start his country music career, leaving questions about who'll replace his production. Suddenly, experts were abandoning the "Golden Knights are elite" conversation, reducing them to either a fringe playoff team or a non-playoff team. Surely, that would have staying power, right?
Mark Stone has adapted well at the wing position, scoring 11 goals and 35 points in 27 games. He's looked comfortable in transition with Eichel and Ivan Barbashev, creating numerous odd-man rushes off the forecheck. Barbashev himself has looked sharp, scoring 15 goals and 30 points.
Of course, this can be traced back to Eichel unleashing his linemates. That explains why Marchessault scored a career-high 42 goals last season. But it's other wingers such as Keegan Kolesar (nine goals, nine assists), Victor Olofsson (nine goals), and Pavel Dorofeyev (14 goals) who've stepped up. In turn, fans have forgotten about the "Original Misfit's" stalled country career.