The Vegas Golden Knights spent some time at the Wynn Golf Club on Tuesday, getting some last swings in before the upcoming hockey season. The reason? It was the 2024 VGK Golf Classic, where players such as William Karlsson and Mark Stone were shooting for birdies on every hole. Speaking of the Captain, he had an interesting quote regarding the team's current state.
Mark Stone: "I still like our team. Another year, another bunch of articles of writing the Golden Knights off."
— Danny Webster (@DannyWebster21) September 3, 2024
Now, Stone is no stranger to talking about what's going on with the team. Some fans have anticipated the downfall of the Golden Knights, drawing the ire of the forward. He called out these fans, saying some people "want to watch Vegas crash and burn." Whether that will happen in 2024-25 remains to be seen. However, many hockey fans could be hate-watching the Golden Knights, waiting for that day to come.
But there might be a silver lining to being underappreciated. Not many people are anticipating Vegas to contend for the Stanley Cup, specifically after the free agent period that was a disaster. Therefore, the Golden Knights will be flying under the radar entering the new hockey season. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially when people have their eyes on more attractive teams such as the Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, and Vancouver Canucks.
Why Mark Stone and the Vegas Golden Knights should have a chip on their shoulder in 2024-25
Now, let's get one thing out of the way. The Vegas Golden Knights aren't perfect in every way. The goaltending situation got worse compared to last season. That's not to say Adin Hill is a bad goalie because he isn't. It's just the tandem of Hill and Logan Thompson is gone, and Thompson is subbed for Ilya Samsonov. Yes, that Samsonov who played a role in the Toronto Maple Leafs being ousted by the Boston Bruins in last season's Stanley Cup playoffs.
However, Bruce Cassidy does a great job of applying defensive pressure on opposing teams. How? He can take away shooting lanes and close gaps quickly, with players such as Alex Pietrangelo making life miserable for opposing offenses. His system has numerous two-way players flow up and down the ice effortlessly, making life easier for Hill. That should soften the blow of having an average goaltending tandem (at best). Speaking of defense...
The Golden Knights are running a deep blue-line group consisting of Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, and Noah Hanifin, to name a few. While Vegas lost some offensive firepower in the offseason, they have plenty to pull from the defensive groups, specifically with the top pairing. Players like Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, and William Karlsson will be thankful for the defense's utility. Mix it in with a forward group with tremendous upside and the Golden Knights could surprise people.
Most of all, there's the taste of getting the Stanley Cup. It's like a rush that you chase time and time again. You want that rush to hit you like a train, where you need it hooked into your veins. Winning the Stanley Cup in 2023 was that feeling the Golden Knights experienced. Why not go after that once more and hoist Lord Stanley on the Strip? Chasing that feeling is something Stone and company want.
The synopsis on the Golden Knights
As mentioned, not a single team in the NHL is perfect. For Vegas, they're not projected to do much on the wing, nor at goaltender. However, the team has been resourceful recently, making the most out of what they have. This season should be no different for the group, given many things will be different. That includes getting younger on the wing and having one of the most stable defensive groups in the NHL.
That could also bode well for the future, too. The Edmonton Oilers just signed Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year, $14 million AAV deal, eating up a chunk of the team's salary cap space (hello, Darnell Nurse). That's not even mentioning what's coming with Connor McDavid, who's also due for a big payday. Given the Pacific Division landscape isn't the strongest, that could open another door for the Golden Knights to still compete.
That might seem like wishful thinking for a team that won the Stanley Cup in 2023. However, luck has a way of favoring the most opportunistic. That could mean the Golden Knights enter the new season with a us-against-the-world attitude, whether it's Jack Eichel or Mark Stone. Nobody dares test a team with that mentality, especially since they've been through such trials and tribulations.