A post was about Nicolas Roy playing on the top line for the Vegas Golden Knights a while ago. He filled in nicely for injured players such as Jack Eichel, meshing well on the power play and finishing in front of the net.
His performance last season inspired confidence in the Golden Knights fanbase, believing he'll have a bigger role on the team. That's what posting a career-high 28 assists does for a center. It leads to greater opportunities, where he could become a more reliable player.
Fans saw that on Friday when Roy scored a goal and a power play assist. The Quebec native had a strong first period, finishing his set-up and helping the Golden Knights get a point. Sure, Vegas suffered yet another road loss. However, you must look at the silver lining in things, especially when you finish a two-game road trip with three points.
Such viewpoints paint a broader picture of things to come. The Golden Knights can rely on good players like the 27-year-old to fill in. When you lose a superstar like Mark Stone day-to-day with a lower-body injury, you expect your team to employ the "next man up" mentality, after all. That's no problem for Roy, who showed he could handle the workload on Friday.
Looking at Nicolas Roy's effectiveness on the Vegas Golden Knights
One thing mentioned in that post was how Nicolas Roy was an offensive force. He could make plays and finish set-ups, making him a tough matchup. That was on full display on Friday as the Golden Knights forward scored a nice tic-tac-toe goal in the first period.
He had a similar goal on the power play, originally orchestrated by Jack Eichel. Both had fluid passing and deceptive looks, generating offense for the Golden Knights.
Tic-tac-toe, V-G-K 🤝
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 9, 2024
Pavel Dorofeyev nets his fifth goal in the last six games and now leads Vegas in scoring on the season pic.twitter.com/hKpQXgMiuS
Plays like this show how well Roy fits in for every situation. He positions himself well and knows how the play unfolds. He set up Dorofeyev for a nice rip on Joey Daccord's glove side. The result? The first goal of the game, which helped the Golden Knights get to overtime.
Bruce Cassidy values players who step in and carry the load. That goes back to the "next man up" mentality, with the substitute player picking up where the predecessor left off. Roy looks like he'll fit in with any line he's on, making him more valuable than people realize.
Could this mean he gets a future spot on the top line? Who knows? That conversation might come up again in three or four years. As for right now, Roy stepped in nicely for Mark Stone on Friday, looking fluid on the offensive attack. That could help the Vegas Golden Knights continue their goal-scoring tradition on the top line, making them dangerous for years.