Man, it's tough watching your bitter rivals beat you in overtime. Last season, it was the Edmonton Oilers who eliminated the Golden Knights in Game 5 in overtime. For the Canadians, it was the United States who won the gold medal in—you guessed it—overtime.
Team Canada actually has it much worse than the Golden Knights in this regard. Instead of enduring the pain from their hated rivals for a year, they have to deal with the pain for four. Imagine all the maple syrup and booze that would flow through everyone's livers in Toronto after that saddening loss.
Of course, that's nothing new in that city. It's like a heavyset lawyer from Jacksonville, Florida, submitting a case with three pages of defendants that a writer must report (don't ask about this anecdote). In this case, Canada's the writer, dealing with a heavy burden of losing that feels like forever.
But three Golden Knights who played for Team Canada in the 2026 have the ultimate chance to redeem themselves. Mark Stone, Mitch Marner, and Shea Theodore can come out of the gate swinging, pushing the Golden Knights to another Pacific Division title and (potentially) a Stanley Cup. With that, let's look at each individual case and see how all three players can help out.
Shea Theodore
Theodore had the weakest Olympics showing of the three, scoring just one goal and one assist in six games for Team Canada. You can point to many issues with the Canadians in Milan, whether that's Nathan MacKinnon becoming Helen Keller on an open net or Connor Hellebuyck stopping a couple of breakaways. But Theodore's disappearance is also noteworthy, considering the Canadian blue line needed as much puck-moving help as possible.
Therefore, he can rebound in a big way for the Golden Knights by getting back to basics. That means smooth entries and setting up rebounds for his teammates up close. If the Misfit can do this, Golden Knights fans can forget what he did in Milan.
Mark Stone
The Captain actually started off strong in the Olympics, scoring two goals and two assists in the first three games. Of course, this was against inferior competition like France, giving him more opportunities than he could handle.
That means that Stone must pretend that he's playing against France again. Get back to positioning and setting up plays for your teammates. The offensive structure runs through the Olympic winger, especially when operating in the offensive zone. If he gets re-acquainted with Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev, and other linemates quickly, there will be no issues on the offensive front.
Maybe pretending that Sidney Crosby's there will help? Whatever the case, Stone must tap into his playmaking ability to shine.
Mitch Marner
Ironically, Marner showed that he's reliable in the clutch during the Olympics. The former "Core Four" member scored the overtime winner against the Czech Republic, helping the Canadians advance to the next round. Here, the objective is simple: keep proving the skeptics wrong.
That means having a strong Stanley Cup playoff showing for the Golden Knights, using his puck-handling skills to stymie opponents. If Marner learns a valuable lesson from that goal against the Czech Republic, he can go a long way in silencing some Maple Leafs haters permanently.