3 takeaways From the Vegas Golden Knights season

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.