Vegas Golden Knights Advance in NHL Playoffs Thanks to Starting Lineup

The Golden Knights started out as a team of surplus players and have been bringing in stars ever since. But when the squad most needed them, the leftovers delivered.

The debut season of the Vegas Golden Knights was an unqualified success that led to a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018, but there isn’t a lot of that team’s DNA remaining in the current group.

The Golden Knights, who are currently in their sixth season, have been working hard to maintain bringing in star power to complement their original group of misfits from the expansion draft. Mark Stone, their current captain and a two-way force, was acquired in a trade in 2019.

The next year, they paid Alex Pietrangelo $61.6 million to become their star defenseman. In spite of concerns about his health, Jack Eichel was the high-profile addition in 2021.

Among those well-known actions were a number of others that helped Vegas go from a team of gritty underachievers to a dependable juggernaut in the Western Conference.

Just seven of the 2017–18 Golden Knights’ active players are still with the team: Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, William Karlsson, William Carrier, Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, and Zach Whitecloud.

These individuals were once the team’s main players, but they now play mostly supporting roles.

Smith is frequently spotted on Karlsson’s flank as he transitioned from 43-goal scorer to responsible third-line center.

The team’s second blue-line pairing is made up of Theodore and McNabb, with foreigners Pietrangelo and Alec Martinez occupying the top positions. Whitecloud and Carrier only have minor roles.

Marchessault is still a top-line winger, but in the regular season, he was the team’s third-leading scorer and probably would have been fourth had Stone been healthy.

The original Golden Knights showed up to play on Sunday night when Vegas needed them the most, despite the fact that they had gradually lost prominence over the years. Every single goal scored in a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers was by a stalwart of the team.

Each goal, as well as 45.5% of Vegas’s shots for the evening, were earned by Marchessault, Smith, and Karlsson. The group had scored just seven goals in the first ten games in the playoffs.

This three can’t be counted on to lead the Golden Knights’ offensive every night. The club still needs Stone to perform and Eichel to be himself. A lesser-known hero is Chandler Stephenson.

However, a performance like the one on Sunday serves as a reminder of how fragile this team is. Another group that has guided a club to the Stanley Cup Final is housed inside the star-studded core that this front office has been importing over the past few years.

This feat has eluded some of the game’s brightest stars, including the two players they just sent home, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

In an NHL with a strict salary cap, most teams are forced to choose between stocking up on quality depth or adding as many stars as they can.

The Golden Knights have been starved for stars for years, but some of the guys who first made this team exceptional have remained despite their desire.

Vegas doesn’t need stars like Marchessault, Karlsson, Smith, or even Theodore to be successful, but the fact that they can make the occasional star turn helps the Golden Knights become a force to be reckoned with.

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