Skip to main content

One positional group must pick up the pace for the Golden Knights

If this group doesn't show up for the series remainder, there won't be a Toshiba Plaza celebration.
Jun 9, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore (27) passes during the 1st period against the Carolina Hurricanes in game four of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
Jun 9, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore (27) passes during the 1st period against the Carolina Hurricanes in game four of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Ladies and gentlemen, we are in the middle of an exciting Stanley Cup Final. The Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes are battling it out for their second Stanley Cup in their respective franchise histories. Tied at two games apiece, both teams have proven that the whole "boring" label should be thrown out the window.

There are plenty of exciting story lines to go around, after all. You have your Mitch Marner redemption story, which has lifted the Golden Knights to new heights. You also have Jordan Staal, who has a pipeline to the good lord for some incredible goals. In short, the Stanley Cup Final has been everything that hockey fans have asked for.

Yet, some things still need to be ironed out. For example, what happened to Carter Hart? He's allowed four goals in every Stanley Cup Final game, suddenly leaving the Golden Knights with a glaring weakness in net. How will the Golden Knights respond if their goalie isn't firing on all cylinders?

But there's a bigger problem that lies ahead for the Golden Knights. It involves one particular positional group that isn't picking up the load. And no, it isn't the forwards because they've gone above the call during the Stanley Cup Final.

The Vegas Golden Knights need more offensive output from the blue line

Remember when I talked about Shea Theodore being a solid contributor for the Vegas Golden Knights this postseason? It seems that he's the only Golden Knights defenseman who's doing his job so far. Just look at the scoring chance contributions from JFreshHockey that show the Golden Knights' side of things.

Theodore is the only Golden Knights defenseman aside from Rasmus Andersson (eight) above five in this category and he's done incredibly well for himself. We're talking about six goals and 11 assists so far, making him one of the more underrated Conn Smythe candidates around.

Of course, you can't expect everyone to chip in whenever they get a chance. A majority of the blue liners play a predominately defensive style, staying home to defend the opposition. However, that doesn't mean that the gang shouldn't contribute more on the attack.

Take Brayden McNabb's Game 3 performance as a perfect example. Here, he scores two assists, with one coming on the double overtime game-winner. That was enough to catapult the Golden Knights to a series lead and prevent a devastating collapse from occurring.

The Golden Knights have two to three games to get this group right. They must have that all-hands-on-deck approach that's been talked about throughout the series. That includes the blue line, which has been buoyed by one or two names. If that doesn't happen, you should probably hand the cup over to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations