Vegas Golden Knights
Western Conference - Pacific division
Predicted Finish: 3rd
ARE THE KNIGHTS DONE REVAMPING THE ROSTER? NO
This off-season, things were eerily quiet in the city that does not do anything quietly. Ever.
The Golden Knights saw star winger Jonathan Marchessault sign as a UFA with Nashville on July 1. Center Chandler Stephenson also bolted for Seattle as a lucrative free-agent signing. Forwards William Carrier, Paul Cotter, Anthony Mantha and Michael Amadio, plus defenseman Alec Martinez and goaltender Logan Thompson, are also gone from last season's squad. Wingers Alexander Holtz and Victor Olofsson, plus goaltender Ilya Samsonov are the newcomers. Vegas still boasts arguably the NHL's best defense corps, plus plenty of '23 Stanley Cup winners. But are they a contender for this year's championship? Not yet.
Expect GM Kelly McCrimmon to actively seek more top-end talent up front. It is what he does.
Mark Stone
Forecasts
Centers
2024-25
Last 3 Seasons
| Rank | Name, Age | GP | G | A | PTS | PPG | 23-24 | 22-23 | 21-22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | J. Eichel, 27 | 70 | 36 | 41 | 77 | 1.10 | 63 / 1.08 | 67 / 0.99 | 34 / 0.74 | + |
| 39 | T. Hertl, 30 | 78 | 26 | 33 | 59 | 0.76 | 54 / 0.70 | 79 / 0.80 | 82 / 0.78 | + |
| 47 | W. Karlsson, 31 | 75 | 22 | 29 | 51 | 0.68 | 70 / 0.86 | 82 / 0.65 | 67 / 0.52 | + |
| 81 | N. Roy, 27 | 80 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 0.44 | 70 / 0.59 | 65 / 0.46 | 78 / 0.50 | + |
Wingers
| Rank | Name, Age | GP | G | A | PTS | PPG | 23-24 | 22-23 | 21-22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58 | I. Barbashev, 28 | 81 | 21 | 38 | 59 | 0.73 | 82 / 0.55 | 82 / 0.55 | 81 / 0.74 | |
| 67 | M. Stone, 32 | 66 | 19 | 38 | 57 | 0.86 | 56 / 0.95 | 43 / 0.88 | 37 / 0.81 | + |
| 73 | P. Dorofeyev, 23 | 77 | 27 | 26 | 53 | 0.69 | 47 / 0.51 | 18 / 0.50 | 2 / 0.00 | + |
| 122 | A. Holtz, 22 | 80 | 23 | 16 | 39 | 0.49 | 82 / 0.34 | 19 / 0.21 | 9 / 0.22 | $ |
| 126 | V. Olofsson, 29 | 74 | 19 | 19 | 38 | 0.51 | 51 / 0.29 | 75 / 0.53 | 72 / 0.68 | $ |
| 170 | B. Howden, 26 | 78 | 11 | 18 | 29 | 0.37 | 72 / 0.26 | 54 / 0.24 | 47 / 0.43 | $ |
| 211 | K. Kolesar, 27 | 82 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 0.24 | 79 / 0.23 | 74 / 0.24 | 77 / 0.31 | $ |
| 219 | J. Rondbjerg, 25 | 71 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 0.27 | 20 / 0.15 | 13 / 0.08 | 30 / 0.20 | $ |
Defensemen
| Rank | Name, Age | GP | G | A | PTS | PPG | 23-24 | 22-23 | 21-22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | S. Theodore, 29 | 77 | 10 | 45 | 55 | 0.71 | 47 / 0.89 | 55 / 0.75 | 78 / 0.67 | + $ |
| 22 | N. Hanifin, 27 | 81 | 11 | 38 | 49 | 0.60 | 80 / 0.59 | 81 / 0.47 | 81 / 0.59 | |
| 43 | A. Pietrangelo, 34 | 75 | 9 | 28 | 37 | 0.49 | 64 / 0.52 | 73 / 0.74 | 80 / 0.55 | + |
| 120 | B. McNabb, 33 | 82 | 2 | 18 | 20 | 0.24 | 82 / 0.32 | 82 / 0.21 | 69 / 0.26 | $ |
| 133 | Z. Whitecloud, 27 | 70 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 0.26 | 61 / 0.23 | 59 / 0.20 | 59 / 0.32 | + |
| 153 | N. Hague, 25 | 78 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 0.19 | 73 / 0.16 | 81 / 0.21 | 52 / 0.27 | $ |
Goaltenders
| Rank | Name, Age | GP | W | SO | GAA | Sv% | 23-24 | 22-23 | 21-22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | A. Hill, 28 | 46 | 26 | 4 | 2.53 | 0.915 | 35 / 19 | 27 / 16 | AHL | + $ |
| 34 | I. Samsonov, 27 | 40 | 18 | 2 | 2.91 | 0.903 | 40 / 23 | 42 / 27 | 44 / 23 | $ |
Depth Chart
Left Wing |
Center |
Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| I. Barbashev (RW) | J. Eichel |
C M. Stone |
| B. Howden (C) | T. Hertl | P. Dorofeyev (LW) 3 |
| V. Olofsson (LW) | W. Karlsson (LW) | A. Holtz (LW) |
| J. Rondbjerg (RW) 3 | N. Roy (RW) | K. Kolesar |
| B. Brisson (LW) 1 | M. Sapovaliv* (LW) 2 | J. Demek* 4 |
| J. Brabenec* (C) 4 | B. Hemmerling* 6 | G. Denisenko (LW) |
| Z. Aston-Reese | J. Gustafson* 3 | M. Cataford* (RW) 3 |
| M. Morelli | G. Quinney | T. Uronen* (LW) 6 |
Defense |
Goaltender |
Notable Departures |
|---|---|---|
| A. Pietrangelo | A. Hill | M. Amadio (FA-Ott) |
| N. Hanifin | I. Samsonov | W. Carrier (FA-Car) |
| S. Theodore | A. Schmid | P. Cotter (T-NJ) |
| B. McNabb | J. Vikman* 5 | B. Froese (FA-Europe) |
| N. Hague 2 | C. Lindbom* 7 | A. Mantha (FA-Cgy) |
| Z. Whitecloud | C. Whitehead* 4 | A. Martinez (FA-Chi) |
| K. Korczak 2 | P. Moysevich* 3 | J. Patera (FA-Van) |
| B. Hutton | R. Lehner | S. Rempal (FA-Europe) |
| C. Sedoff* | C. Stephenson (FA-Sea) | |
| L. Cormier* 3 | L. Thompson (T-Wsh) | |
| D. Chayka* 2 |
Forecasts: *: Rookie; 
: injury concern; 
: contract year (UFA in 2025);
: Must-draft player Last 3 season stats: GP and PPG for skaters, GP and W for goalies; Rank is based on PPG or Ws compared to players in the same position. Age as of October 10, 2024.
Depth Chart: (Secondary Position); *: Rookie; 
: Team captain; Orange denotes off-season acquisition via free agency or trade; 1 to 9: Organizational draft pick with round selected.
Lines: Projected lines, pairs and units are for the majority of the season, not neccesarily opening night; 2023-24 Power Play TOI and G-A-PTS in parenthesis
Projected Lines/Pairs
Power Play Units
| Forwards | Defense |
|---|---|
| I. Barbashev - J. Eichel - P. Dorofeyev | N. Hanifin - A. Pietrangelo |
| B. Howden - T. Hertl - M. Stone | B. McNabb - S. Theodore |
| V. Olofsson - W. Karlsson - A. Holtz | N. Hague - Z. Whitecloud |
| J. Rondbjerg - N. Roy - K. Kolesar |
| First Unit | Second Unit |
|---|---|
| M. Stone (3:44, 4-10-14) | A. Pietrangelo (2:22, 0-9-9) |
| T. Hertl (2:52, 6-5-11) | V. Olofsson (1:25, 1-2-3) |
| J. Eichel (3:56, 11-11-22) | W. Karlsson (2:34, 7-8-15) |
| N. Hanifin (1:51, 5-8-13) | I. Barbashev (1:51, 3-2-5) |
| A. Holtz (1:15, 1-1-2) | S. Theodore (3:17, 2-13-15) |