It's not easy being Nicolas Roy. First, the guy gets the grunt work on the fourth line, dealing with a more physical aspect of the game. It's not that he hates that part of the job, though. He's great at pickpocketing opponents, taking away 156 pucks during his five-year tenure with the team. But there's also the thankless part of the gig, where people don't appreciate him enough. Therefore, he's one of the more underrated Vegas Golden Knights stars, dealing with trade rumors.
But there's more to love about the native of Amos, Quebec. He scored 13 goals and 28 assists (a career-high) last season. That was with him playing on the bottom line for a majority of 70 games in 2023-24, which is even more impressive. But there will be a caveat with his production for the upcoming year: The Golden Knights will expect more from him.
So will he take the next step and carry the bottom line again? How can Roy and Keegan Kolesar better themselves on the grind this season? The former fourth-round pick can carry his linemates and act as a top-notch distributor for Vegas again. Here's how he can do it and what the upcoming season will look like for Roy.
How Keegan Kolesar and Nicolas Roy can carry the fourth line for the Vegas Golden Knights
If there's one thing about Nicolas Roy, he doesn't do much physical work on his line. The center is good on the forecheck but he doesn't hit many people. He's only amassed 334 hits and 140 blocked shots in his five-year tenure with the Vegas Golden Knights. His calling card is being an offensive player, where he works as a playmaker. However, his work with Keegan Kolesar will be under a microscope as the fourth unit heads into the new season.
In 2023-24, Kolesar and Roy played together for 401:49 of ice time. That consisted of 15 goals for and 17 goals against with both players together. The expected goals for with the duo sat at 15.47, while the expected goals against was 13.26. While the pair did their jobs offensively, the defensive side must do better.
That means getting more involved physically and delivering more hits for Roy. His linemate has no trouble doing this, especially after Kolesar was fourth in the NHL in this statistic last season (276). Compare that to the Quebec native, who only had 77 in 2023-24. Getting involved should help the team defensively, creating more turnovers and wearing their opponents down.
Of course, there will also be William Carrier's absence that will affect the fourth line production. The newest Carolina Hurricane had 1,116 hits during his seven seasons with the Golden Knights, making him an important bottom six lineman. Therefore, more pressure will fall on Roy as he heads into the new season. How he handles it will determine his output for the year.