Looking at the defensive pairings for the Vegas Golden Knights

Shea Theodore, Noah Hanifin, and Alex Pietrangelo, oh my!

The funny thing about the Vegas Golden Knights regarding their defense is the variety of defensive players. Vegas has a pairing consisting of defensive-minded players (i.e. Zach Whitecloud and Nicolas Hague). They also have an offensively-minded group with the first pairing and balance things out on the second pair. It's the best of both worlds for the Golden Knights, making them a tough team to crack.

It doesn't matter if it's the top pairing acting as an extension of Jack Eichel's play or Shea Theodore serving as the yin to Brayden McNabb's yang. This looks like the best defensive group in years, making them a prominent threat to suffocate opponents. Variety is the spice of life and it shows with Vegas's defensive pairings.

That variety could slip under the radar and surprise some people this season. Having a balanced, deep group will help the Golden Knights keep the ship afloat, specifically when injuries hit. Did one half of your top pairing go down with a lower-body injury? Never fear because backup is here! Hopefully, the team does the same for the forward group, where the unit's not as strong as its blue-line brethren.