Last season was the pits for the Henderson Silver Knights. They were dead-last in the Pacific Division with 63 points, finishing with a lousy record of 29-38-3-2. That's the equivalent of "getting the dud," where the Silver Knights played like a group of poindexters in 2024-25.
You know what they say. There's nowhere to go but up.
That should be the motto for Henderson for the upcoming season, where it's fallen off from its stellar 2020-21 campaign. Remember when the Silver Knights were in the Pacific Division Finals against the Bakersfield Condors, only to fall short one game? Seems like forever.
So, how does one team get back to its short-lived prominence? Do they summon Jobu to fend off any bad ju-ju? What about signing Mitch Marner and saving him from his Canadian prison? That should work for anyone looking to contend for a championship, right?
Actually, it's much simpler than that. Henderson is doing some things right as an organization while they're preparing for the 2025-26 season. What are they doing right as an organization to get themselves back to relevance? Well, there are three things they're doing right...
1.) Improve the penalty kill
Here's a fun fact for you: the Vegas Golden Knights allowed two power play goals during the preseason. One of those came in the final preseason game where the starters took the ice. Allowing 11.7% of power play goals is an impressive feat in itself. But when you do it against NHL starters thrown into the mix? That's even better.
Special teams plays an integral factor in creating a successful team. You want to take advantage of certain opportunities and fend off others. If you don't? You're in doggy doo doo.
If the Silver Knights can build off their penalty-killing momentum, that will pay dividends for them throughout the season. Who knows? It could make them a playoff team once again.
2.) The goaltending must stay strong
Last season, Carl Lindbom posted a stellar campaign for the Silver Knights. He posted a GAA of 2.65 and a save percentage of .912. Add three shutouts to the mix and he was a lone bright spot on a mediocre team.
The expectations are that he'll repeat that performance heading into the 2025-26 season. But he's not alone. He's part of a loaded goaltender room that'll feature names like Jesper Vikman and Cameron Whitehead. Whoever joins him will form an incredible tandem that could take the AHL by storm.
3.) The scoring must grow
Trevor Connelly wasn't present for Golden Knights Training Camp because he was nursing a leg injury. He's out on a week-to-week basis, leaving Henderson without much offensive bite.
That's not even mentioning players like Matyas Sapovaliv (11 goals and eight assists) underachieving. Last season was an unmitigated disaster for the Silver Knights offensively, scoring a paltry 202 goals.
If Henderson wants to return to the playoffs, that means fixing the offensive output. Players like Sapovaliv must step up and create scoring opportunities for their teammates. Otherwise, it'll be a long season without any postseason.