For years, Jack Eichel has searched for a viable winger to play alongside him. The Vegas Golden Knights megastar had Ivan Barbashev on his wing, which was good for a bit. However, the problem with him was he didn't produce more points.
In fact, the most he produced with the Golden Knights was 51 (23 goals and 28 assists) last season. That's not getting the job done anytime soon, especially when you want another Stanley Cup party at Toshiba Plaza. You need someone else to carry the load and bolster your offense.
Enter Mitch Marner.
The former "Core Four" member becomes a "Core 12" member, bringing his 102 points from last season with him. Now, Eichel's ready to fight crime across the NHL with his sidekick, creating eye-opening goals and frustrating foes along the way.
Suddenly, the Golden Knights have catapulted themselves atop the NHL hierarchy, getting the love and adoration in the Stanley Cup betting odds. Now, people have grown tired of the new(-ish) expansion team getting all the praise. Hey, if you want to be the man, you gotta beat the man!
Looking at the forward group, the gang can lead the Golden Knights to that big party come June. Armed with loads of scoring that can turn the NHL upside down, teams are fearing when they go up against Vegas. But it isn't just the loads of potential goals that can lead them to another Stanley Cup.
Other factors that make the Vegas Golden Knights forward group Stanley Cup-worthy
Bruce Cassidy and Kelly McCrimmon believe in forwards with a two-way game. Playing all 200 feet of the ice is integral in maintaining puck possession and leaving your opponents on their toes. That's why you have superstars like William Karlsson and Mark Stone on the Golden Knights.
After all, you need guys like Karlsson to neutralize the league's big names. Without the Misfit, who will stop Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid from wreaking too much havoc? You need your Swedish dancing queens on the ice for such events.
With Marner in tow, that makes the Golden Knights much better. That's especially true with the 28-year-old bringing a quicker game to replace Stone, who's 33 years old. Once he's out of town, in will come the former "Core Four" member to take on his duties.
Forward play stems beyond the two-way game
Of course, the forwards must also keep up the league's second-best power play from last season (28.3%). Marner's addition also affects the unit here, where he had 27 assists last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His facilitating style will also help the Golden Knights here, likely keeping him on the first unit.
It'll also present a good problem for the Golden Knights, giving them more options for the top unit than they realize. If they want to add size to the second group, they can bump Mark Stone down. If Cassidy wanted a sniper from atop the umbrella, he could insert Pavel Dorofeyev. Heck, you could make the case for Shea Theodore getting the bump so he could create rebounds.
Whatever the case, the forward group is in a great place. It's a mixture of fluid slot players, snipers, and two-way players galore. Therefore, it should be obvious that winning another Stanley Cup is contingent on whether the group can live up to the hype.
If they can stay healthy while producing gaudy numbers, get ready to pour some beer come June. If not, well, let's just say there will be some serious questions about the team heading into next season. That's something nobody from Las Vegas wants to deal with.