Have you ever looked at something and been completely let down? Perhaps it's your football team letting your divisional rival win a Super Bowl in your stadium like they pulled up the extra hotel chair and watched (something tells me Jed York is into that)? Maybe it's the customer service rep who doesn't have a straight answer and their supervisor is a complete, condescending nitwit?
Whatever the case, we've all been there. We've dealt with the sheer disappointment that comes from people or teams. Being let down is nothing new, whether it's your spouse not performing or your dog peeing all over your new carpet.
That's certainly no different with the Vegas Golden Knights, who've fallen short of expectations this season. Oh sure, they're in first place in the Pacific Division. But that's by the sheer willpower of overtime/shootout losses. Without the controversial loser point, where would the Golden Knights be?
I tell you where: they'd be in the Maple Leafs' position, pondering where it all went wrong. Hmm, I wonder if a certain Markham native would've been of some assistance. Anyways, I digress. Let's focus on the three biggest disappointments of the Golden Knights' season so far.
1.) Adin Hill
If you want a deeper perspective on how bad Adin Hill has been this season, look at his starts with more than 10 minutes of ice time. He's only posted save percentages of .900 or higher three times in such instances, with two coming in October and one coming in... February... in the last game before the Olympic break.
Combined with the typical Hill injury and that equals a save percentage of .870 and a GAA of .327. That's not even mentioning how he's 62nd in goals saved above expected this season (-10.6, according to MoneyPuck), making him one of the worst goaltenders in the league. If the Golden Knights want to make another deep Stanley Cup run, they must get more from the guy with a new(ish) six-year contract.
2.) Brandon Saad
Now, if you want a little perspective for what Saad should be doing, look at last season's performance with the Golden Knights. He had six goals and eight assists in 29 games with Vegas, marking a decent campaign with his new team. This season? He has two goals and five assists in 39 games.
That's a massive dropoff for a man who was signed to a similar deal to Reilly Smith this offseason. While the Misfit has also been disappointing this season (nine goals and seven assists in 53 games), Saad's dropoff has been more catastrophic.
3.) Carter Hart
Ironically, Hart has had the same number of starts as Adin Hill. What's more, he has a similar GAA and save percentage to the Golden Knights starter (GAA of 3.28 and a save percentage of .871). While Hill has gotten plenty of blame for the goaltending woes, Hart deserves to carry that weight, too.
The former Flyers goaltender has a save percentage of .802 since last Christmas, where he's gone 1-2-1 in that span. His GAA is 4.83 and includes an early pull on December 29 against the Minnesota Wild. Golden Knights fans are hoping that one of McCrimmon's latest free agent signings can turn his luck around. Otherwise, he might be frozen out for good.