3 takeaways From the Vegas Golden Knights season
With the Vegas Golden Knights out of the postseason, here are three takeaways from the 2023-24 season.
It wasn't the most desirable day to be a Vegas Golden Knights fan on Sunday. The defending champions are officially out of the Stanley Cup playoffs, losing to the Dallas Stars, 2-1. In turn, the Stars will face the Colorado Avalanche in the next round. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights are heading home, with a new champion being crowned at the end of the playoffs.
First, give kudos to the Stars, who were the hungrier team throughout the series. Led by a phenomenal Jake Oettinger, Dallas prevented the Golden Knights from doing anything offensively. That included various neutral zone traps and entries, leading to deflected Golden Knights passes and odd-man rushes for Dallas. If the Stars go to the Stanley Cup finals, expect Oettinger to be considered for the Conn Smythe trophy.
As for the Golden Knights, they have a new unit set in place. This unit will take some time to gel, for the unit hasn't been around each other long enough. But that's not the only noteworthy tidbit Vegas has going for it. There are questions about who'll come back and who's leaving Sin City, with Vegas tasked to answer such pressing questions in the offseason.
For example, who's staying and who's going? Some notable names on the Golden Knights roster won't be here next season. But some names deserve to stick around and extend their stay in Las Vegas. Who will be the big priorities heading into the offseason?
What are the three main takeaways from the 2023-24 season and beyond? What should Vegas Golden Knights fans watch for next season? What are the biggest questions the Golden Knights have for the upcoming offseason? It was a year to remember for Vegas, who made the playoffs again. Here are the three main takeaways from the season as the Golden Knights close the year.
1. Injuries devastated the Vegas Golden Knights
Injuries are a natural part of hockey. They happen in any sport, with high intensity and competitiveness ruling the roost. Some will say certain players get injured intentionally to come back during the playoffs. However, the Vegas Golden Knights were hit particularly hard by the injury bug during the 2023-24 season.
Some notable injuries that hurt the team include Jack Eichel and William Karlsson. These cases devastated the Golden Knights offensively, leading them to go 2-8-1 between February 12 and March 7. Without any offensive firepower, what's a hockey team to do?
It wasn't just the offense that suffered, though. Defensively, there were gaps left open almost every game and the Golden Knights struggled to play back. As a result, they allowed 46 goals in that same span. It made life harder for the goaltending, whether it was Adin Hill or Logan Thompson.
Who did the Vegas Golden Knights lose defensively? For one, Shea Theodore was out for three months with an upper-body injury. Not only did the Golden Knights lose a valuable defenseman, but they also lost a special teams asset. In turn, the defense suffered and Vegas lost its forechecking identity. Now, the Golden Knights are eliminated from the playoffs.
2. A new core comes in
There will be major questions regarding who returns and who doesn't for the Vegas Golden Knights next season. Could fans see Chandler Stephenson come back for the black and gold? Will Jonathan Marchessault be re-signed and has he earned enough to be brought back? Those are the major questions surrounding the Golden Knights next season.
However, these questions got harder to answer with Vegas's trade deadline acquisitions. Bringing in Anthony Mantha, Tomas Hertl, and Noah Hanifin for another Stanley Cup run was the goal. While that didn't happen this year, the Golden Knights found key pieces in Hanifin and Hertl.
That's especially true on the power play, where the Golden Knights have suddenly flourished. Since Hertl returned and joined the unit, Vegas finished the regular season scoring on 46.7% of their power plays. With the Czech star's big body in front of the net, it's created the havoc the Golden Knights desperately needed.
With Hanifin and Hertl in the fold, it's likely that pending free agents like Chandler Stephenson and Alec Martinez aren't returning. The question about re-signing Marchessault looms and the Vegas Golden Knights have new money on the books. Granted, some come with deferred money to other teams (see Hertl). However, the Golden Knights will look significantly different from years prior.
3. For the Vegas Golden Knights, their window's now
On the note of trade deadline acquisitions, the Vegas Golden Knights are going all-in on their Stanley Cup window. They have the unit they like and that bodes well for fans in the short term. However, the question of when that window closes will eventually come.
With teams like the Vancouver Canucks experiencing a renaissance, the squeeze will be on in Sin City. Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson are coming into their own and the Canucks have a solid goaltender in Thatcher Demko. Vancouver will give Vegas a run for their money in the near future.
But it isn't just the Canucks to watch for. The Anaheim Ducks are also developing a young squad, with studs like Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson arriving. Anaheim is developing its scoring and blue lines, which should make it a tougher team in upcoming years. It shouldn't be long before hockey fans see the return of the "Mighty" Ducks, something Orange County has waited for in recent years.
Let's not forget the young Seattle Kraken, who just fired their head coach, Dave Hakstol. The Kraken made the playoffs last season, taking the Dallas Stars to a winner-take-all game in the second round. There are young, exciting players for Seattle and the right coach will catapult them to the Pacific Division throne.
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