It's time for Mark Stone and the top guys to shake things up against Minnesota Wild

Winning the Stanley Cup means your top guys must show up to play. They must be ready to take on any situation and deliver. Some names for the Vegas Golden Knights have acted accordingly. That includes Tomas Hertl (two goals and an assist) and Alex Pietrangelo (one goal and two assists). Others? Not so much.

That includes Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, and Ivan Barbashev, all of whom have gone absent. All three top line stars haven't registered a single point against the Minnesota Wild. Mind you, the opposition has eight goals for comparison. That's the worst part of all this. This contributions card tells the whole story.

Would you look at that? Those top line players are at the bottom. Compare that to the Wild, whose players were rocking at the top.

There was an excessive amount of confidence heading into the series regarding the Golden Knights (hello, I'm the problem). That started with the top line players and Stone. They were proven players who could get the job done (or so it seemed).

Now? Fans are wondering when these top guys will show up (if ever). The questions are popping up quicker than ever.

"Will they ever recover?"

"Is Father Time taking a toll on certain players?"

"Are the Golden Knights *GASP* done?"

All of this starts with Stone and the guys, whose absence has hurt Vegas. Now, the gang is down 2-1 with civil unrest settling in Las Vegas. What drastic changes must be made to get the boys back up and running?

One drastic change will set Mark Stone and the Vegas Golden Knights loose

Some fans haven't been on board with the top line of Mark Stone and Jack Eichel together. Both players tend to facilitate plays, leaving the team down one shooter. Plus, some fans are concerned about the Winnipeg native slowing down. All those hits he's taken over the years have worn him down.

The group's pass-happy attack was effective during the first few months of the season. Nobody knew who was shooting the puck, leaving them in suspense. Not anymore. That's why teams like the Minnesota Wild leave the Captain open. They know he won't shoot the puck, even with the game on the line.

With that, it's time to break up the top line and promote Pavel Dorofeyev. Swap the Russian winger out for Stone and make the top unit faster and more aggressive. Sure, that adds another left-handed shot to the unit, making things more narrow. That's part of why adding Brett Howden wouldn't make as much sense.

However, it's worth giving it a shot, given the unit's production has tailed off. The stats tell an eye-opening story with Eichel and Dorofeyev together (stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick).

The time is now for a Vegas Golden Knights line change

Mind you, Stone and Eichel have carried significant ice time compared to Dorofeyev and Eichel. However, drastic times call for drastic measures. The good news is that Stone would simply swap spots with Dorofeyev on the second line. Here, he'd already have a shooting center in Tomas Hertl and Brandon Saad on his opposite wing.

Is it worth trying? Knowing Bruce Cassidy, he cannot shy away from shaking things up. He'll look at tinkering with his top unit to counter Kaprizov and Boldy working together. Why not go with more speed and shooting to match them? That way, Stone gets a more favorable matchup with Mats Zuccarello and Marcus Johansson.

When you're in dire straits, you're looking for anything to try. That means mixing things up and giving it a try. The Captain is in the later years of his hockey career, meaning he can't do what he once did. Cassidy better know this and pull the trigger before it's too late.