Remember when the Henderson Silver Knights were doing well to start the season? They had goals coming in and they were taking down teams like the Ontario Reign. They put the entire AHL on notice, leaving more people to despise the hegemonic Vegas Golden Knights empire.
Certainly, the Golden Knights's little brother would keep up that level of play, right? They would certainly be near the top of the Pacific Division and leave fans to believe in the beleaguered AHL club. Well, here's the thing, dear reader...
It didn't happen.
In fact, the Silver Knights find themselves on the outside looking in with 44 points. They're 2-5-3-0 in their last 10 games and have lost five straight games, putting them on yet another backslide. On top of that, they're 20 points away from the first-place Reign, who have won seven of their last 10 games.
That's not good for a Silver Knights team that had so much potential to start the season. What looked like so much potential for the upstart AHL team has devolved into literal chaos. Now, fans are wondering whether Ryan Craig's team will ever take the next step to relevance.
What caused the Silver Knights to completely falter?
Believe it or not, the Golden Knights are involved in this situation. They've dealt with a wave of injuries throughout the season, ranging from Adin Hill to William Karlsson. In turn, the Golden Knights have dug into the ol' Henderson warchest for depth players.
That included Braeden Bowman, Kai Uchacz, and Carl Lindbom, who've seen significant time with the NHL club. This has taken a massive hit on the little brothers, leaving them to dig through their little brother's warchest.
What's more, one of the players is trending closer towards being a Golden Knights mainstay. He scored seven goals and five assists in 12 games with Henderson before getting the call-up. After the call-up? Seven goals and 13 assists in 41 games. That's pushing him to become a roster mainstay for Vegas, leaving Henderson shorthanded.
The missing pieces have led to greater problems for the Silver Knights
Without Bowman and Uchacz—to name a few—around, Henderson has been left shorthanded on the offensive end. They're sixth in goals scored among the Pacific Division teams this season (134), leaving some room for more offense.
Of course, the defensive group and the goaltending have been decent for Henderson, starting with Lindbom. The Swedish netminder has a GAA of 2.07 and a save percentage of .928, making him one of the most reliable pieces around.
However, there's only so much that the netminder and the blue line can do. When you're unable to score goals when called upon, that puts more stress on the team. That's where the Silver Knights are this season, leaving goals on the table... and wins.
That has led to a terrible regression that has gone beyond the mean. It's become the same ol' song-and-dance for a club trying to escape their big brother's shadow. The Golden Knights will most likely be front and center in the Las Vegas hockey scene. But unless the Silver Knights can make some offensive changes, that will be the course for years to come.