NHL Preview 2024-25 127 SportsForecaster.com

Forwards

Ivan Barbashev [LW/RW]

  • Age: 28
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 203
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 82 19 26 45 15 42 0.55
Career 613 136 177 313 62 190 0.51
Forecast 81 21 38 59 - - 0.73

The veteran Russian forward is a durable, above-average secondary scorer. His heavy style of play (180 hits in '23-24, third on the Golden Knights) and high-end compete level make him difficult to toil against, and he excels at extending plays along the wall. Barbashev also receives lots of power-play time (1:51 PP TOI/GP in '23-24).

Pavel Dorofeyev [RW/LW]

  • Age: 23
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 194
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 47 13 11 24 8 12 0.51
Career 177 66 37 103 8 56 0.58
Forecast 77 27 26 53 - - 0.69

He was often a healthy scratch in the first half of 2023-24 but received added playing time after the new year and showed a nose for the net. A complementary forward, Dorofeyev is a lanky body who gets to the crease area for rebounds and has the soft hands to finish when he gets a chance. He can also line up on either side of center.

Jack Eichel [C]

  • Age: 27
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 206
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 63 31 37 68 4 27 1.08
Career 644 251 393 644 2 195 1.00
Forecast 70 36 41 77 - - 1.10

The No. 1 pivot has seen his game evolve with Vegas: he has grown into a great two-way forward who can still average over a point per game (with the talent to produce even more). Eichel's biggest career bugaboo has been injuries: even after disc replacement surgery in November 2021, he has missed 34 games over the last two campaigns.

Tomas Hertl [C]

  • Age: 30
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 220
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
SJ/VGK 54 17 21 38 -28 22 0.70
Career 819 265 306 571 -81 284 0.70
Forecast 78 26 33 59 - - 0.76

San Jose dealt Hertl to Vegas while he was recovering from knee surgery; he did not look like his usual self upon returning to action. He is a big, talented forward who can be used in all situations. Hertl does not get pushed around but is not overly physical. The Czech veteran knows how to protect the puck and is a power-play asset.

Alexander Holtz [RW/LW]

  • Age: 22
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 198
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NJ 82 16 12 28 -15 14 0.34
Career 171 23 23 46 -31 40 0.27
Forecast 80 23 16 39 - - 0.49

The Swedish forward will be trying to build on his first full NHL season, one that saw him go through lots of growing pains–especially defensively. His offensive numbers were not bad for a bottom-six forward, especially considering that he averaged only 11:38 of ice time and spent just 1:15 per game on the ice with the man advantage.

Brett Howden [LW/C]

  • Age: 26
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 201
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 72 8 11 19 -11 39 0.26
Career 455 67 83 150 -11 215 0.33
Forecast 78 11 18 29 - - 0.37

The 26-year-old has settled in as a reliable bottom-six forward who has good size, moves well and plays a solid 200-foot game. Howden also provides depth scoring. He plays at even strength and also gets time on the penalty-killing units. Although Howden is not especially physical, he will push back and lean on opponents when need be.

William Karlsson [C/LW]

  • Age: 31
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 190
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 70 30 30 60 15 22 0.86
Career 752 183 270 453 132 116 0.60
Forecast 75 22 29 51 - - 0.68

The 31-year-old had his best offensive season since 2017-18 and ended 2023-24 as a plus player for an eighth consecutive season. His best power-play points total in seven years helped his offensive improvement, as did almost doubling his shooting percentage (17.1% in '23-24). Karlsson also won a career-best 56.2 percent of his draws.

Keegan Kolesar [RW]

  • Age: 27
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 216
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 79 8 10 18 -8 49 0.23
Career 385 38 69 107 -16 289 0.28
Forecast 82 9 11 20 - - 0.24

The 6'2'', 216-pound power forward plays with an edge. His biggest assets are his physical play (a team-high 277 hits, fourth in the NHL in 2023-24) and his presence. He logs fourth-line winger minutes (10:52 TOI/GP in 2023-24), skates well enough to get into shooting lanes defensively and is a useful tertiary contributor on offense.

Victor Olofsson [RW/LW]

  • Age: 29
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 180
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Buf 51 7 8 15 -1 4 0.29
Career 399 111 118 229 -46 48 0.57
Forecast 74 19 19 38 - - 0.51

The Swedish sniper is coming off his worst offensive campaign in '23-24, one that saw him drop from 28 goals to just seven. He was a frequent healthy scratch despite improved play away from the puck. He still has the quick release and lethal shot that made him a three-time 20-goal man and power-play menace, but he offers little else.

Jonas Rondbjerg [LW/RW]

  • Age: 25
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 197
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 20 1 2 3 2 0 0.15
Career 76 3 7 10 -7 8 0.13
Forecast 71 7 12 19 - - 0.27

The 25-year-old Danish forward has bounced between the AHL and NHL in each of the past three campaigns. Rondbjerg is an excellent checking winger and penalty killer who could shut down opponents. However, his offensive output has to greatly improve at the highest level–10 points in 63 career games is not going to keep him in the NHL.

Nicolas Roy [C/RW]

  • Age: 27
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 201
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 70 13 28 41 8 29 0.59
Career 394 70 106 176 39 177 0.45
Forecast 80 15 20 35 - - 0.44

Roy's offensive game has grown to the point where he can now be a top-six forward option (and near-elite bottom-six player). He can also toil on both special teams. Roy put up career bests in assists and points in 2023-24, despite missing 12 games. He is big (6'4'', 202 pounds), strong and always willing to take the puck to the net.

Mark Stone [RW]

  • Age: 32
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 210
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 56 16 37 53 1 22 0.95
Career 718 235 419 654 144 229 0.91
Forecast 66 19 38 57 - - 0.86

Stone's 2023-24 regular season ended when he sustained a lacerated spleen and missed the final 26 games, though he returned for the playoffs. Before the injury, he was leading the Golden Knights in points and assists. Injuries also cost the grizzled vet much of the previous two years, but he remains a top two-way player when healthy.

Defensemen

Goaltenders

Nicolas Hague

  • Age: 25
  • Ht: 6-6
  • Wt: 245
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 73 2 10 12 -5 43 0.16
Career 384 21 69 90 13 249 0.23
Forecast 78 3 12 15 - - 0.19

Offense is not his strong suit: he has never produced more than 17 points in any of his five NHL seasons. He is a good skater for his size (6'6'', 240 pounds), which is an asset on defense. He was fourth on the team in hits (153) and blocked shots (111) in '23-24. He matches up well against top-six forwards and is tough to get around.

Noah Hanifin

  • Age: 27
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 206
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Cgy/VGK 80 13 34 47 19 24 0.59
Career 776 73 257 330 1 205 0.43
Forecast 81 11 38 49 - - 0.60

A terrific skater, Hanifin is a terrific defenseman who is both quick and fast; he can be a one-man breakout or make a good first pass. He is also durable, having missed just three contests in the last three campaigns, while averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time. Hanifin has also averaged 10 goals and 44 points during that span.

Brayden McNabb

  • Age: 33
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 215
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 82 4 22 26 18 37 0.32
Career 850 33 147 180 157 543 0.21
Forecast 82 2 18 20 - - 0.24

Although McNabb had a career high in points in 2023-24, he is best known for his defense. His 207 blocked shots were 42 more than anyone else on Vegas and tied him for third in the NHL. He also registered 149 hits. He makes life miserable for attackers in the dirty areas and has not sported a negative plus/minus rating since 2012-13!

Alex Pietrangelo

  • Age: 34
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 215
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 64 4 29 33 -5 24 0.52
Career 1087 148 489 637 123 355 0.59
Forecast 75 9 28 37 - - 0.49

The 34-year-old Pietrangelo is a complete defenseman who can play big minutes, run a power play, block shots (160 last season), match up against top-line forwards and be used in key defensive situations. Health issues cost him 18 games in '23-24 and reduced his offensive numbers, but he has averaged 12 goals and 48 points per season.

Shea Theodore

  • Age: 29
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 197
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 47 5 37 42 4 6 0.89
Career 592 82 299 381 90 183 0.64
Forecast 77 10 45 55 - - 0.71

The 29-year-old Theodore was nearly a point-per-game player in 2023-24, though he missed 34 games with an upper-body injury. He is a superb skater who can lead the rush, drive play and dominate possession. He has produced at least 41 points for five straight seasons now. Theodore is also effective in shootouts (45.8% for his career).

Zach Whitecloud

  • Age: 27
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 210
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 61 2 12 14 -3 32 0.23
Career 349 21 53 74 44 172 0.21
Forecast 70 4 14 18 - - 0.26

After he missed 23 games in each of the previous two seasons, Whitecloud was limited to just 61 games in 2023-24. When he is on the ice, the 27-year-old is used in a defensive role that sees him focused on playing in his own zone (129 hits, 105 blocks in '23-24). He has never had more than 19 points in any of his four full campaigns.

Adin Hill

  • Age: 28
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 215
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
VGK 35 19 12 2 2 2.71 0.909
Career 191 97 64 15 11 2.63 0.908
Forecast 46 26 - - 4 2.53 0.915

The 6'4'' hero of the '23 Vegas Cup run missed a large chunk of last campaign due to injury, then went 5-10-0 down the stretch. He did not get a playoff start until Game 5 of round 1 but did play well in a losing cause. Hill has a championship ring, but he has missed a ton of playing time with injuries for three straight seasons now.

Ilya Samsonov

  • Age: 27
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 200
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
Tor 40 23 7 8 3 3.13 0.89
Career 200 118 48 25 15 2.77 0.902
Forecast 40 18 - - 2 2.91 0.903

The second half of Samsonov's '23-24 campaign was a lot better than the first. He was waived and sent to the AHL at midseason to regroup and came back much stronger (18-4-2 in his last 24 games). However, his goals-against average and save percentage were career worsts. He can have trouble tracking plays and finding pucks in traffic.