Nic Dowd has made an impressive impact with the Vegas Golden Knights so far. He's scored two goals this postseason and has helped Vegas in key spots, specifically on the penalty kill. I mean, that's why he wins 54.7% of his faceoffs during the postseason, right?
But there's been a story regarding Dowd and Brayden McNabb that dates back to the 2017 Expansion Draft. The two players were left unprotected by the Los Angeles Kings and the Golden Knights had a choice. Which player were you going to take? Ultimately, the Golden Knights took McNabb, which Dowd conceded was the right choice.
When Vegas considered whom to select from Los Angeles in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, it came down to two players: Nic Dowd and Brayden McNabb.
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) May 5, 2026
"I think they took the right guy," Dowd said.
Yeah. But now Vegas has Dowd too, and he's playing a key role. https://t.co/q10lGYYNYd
Can you imagine a world where Dowd is an Original Misfit instead of McNabb? It would be incredibly bizarre to see, given that the Golden Knights wouldn't have one of their best pure defensemen in franchise history. Think of how the team's journey to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final would've gone.
Sadly for Dowd, he missed the boat on getting a precious Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals. He joined the team one season after they defeated Vegas in five games, playing for eight seasons in the Nation's Capital. Still, the Dowd story has rapidly become one of the biggest "What If's" in franchise history, highlighting an alternate universe where Vegas has a lower-line center instead of a top stay-at-home defender.
The revisionist history doesn't matter for Nic Dowd as he's playing alongside Brayden McNabb now
To put things into perspective, Dowd has scored 82 goals and 92 assists since 2017-18. He has acted as a key center in the lower units, winning face-offs and laying out players. That has provided an important role for the Alabama native, who's showing his worth as a lower-line center.
In turn, it's showing Golden Knights fans what the center would've brought if he were selected in that Expansion Draft. You're seeing it with the penalty kill this postseason, where the Golden Knights have only allowed one power play goal. That has come against young, offensively loaded teams such as the Utah Mammoth and the Anaheim Ducks, making the feat more impressive.
What role has Dowd played in this? Well, that face-off part comes into play again. When you're looking to keep the momentum going, you need someone to eat up time after a face-off win. That's where Dowd comes into play, for he can get the draw and have one of his unit mates kill off the clock.
It's a brilliant strategy that has paid dividends for the Golden Knights during the playoffs. The Ducks entered Game 1 with 50% of their power plays converted against the Oilers. What happened in Game 1, though? Well, they went 0-for-4 and lost the series opener. Thank you, Nic Dowd!
Expect the former Capitals center to hear those two words much more from Golden Knights fans during the postseason. His role is much more important than people realize, making Vegas much more potent on the penalty kill. No need for a parallel universe to see how he's helping the team, too.
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