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Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
By WG Ramirez
LAS VEGAS (AP) – The Vegas Golden Knights are no longer the NHL’s shiny new toy.
This honor now belongs to Seattle Kraken expansion.
With just seven players remaining from the inaugural roster that reached the 2018 Stanley Cup Final and the original face of the franchise, goaltender Marc-André Fleury, now in Chicago, Vegas is ushering in a new era.
“I feel like every year is a new era,” said Jonathan Marchessault, who was on the roster when the Knights joined the league for the 2017-18 season. “As soon as a guy changes in a team, I think it’s not the same team. We also have a lot of young guys this year. I think everyone feels good about our current situation and our expectations. “
Expectations that Marchessault said the team is ready to meet, as it is once again one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.
Vegas has its six best forwards behind, with captain Mark Stone anchoring the first row with compatriot Max Pacioretty and center Chandler Stephenson, and Marchessault leading the second row with center William Karlsson and all-round wing Reilly Smith.
“I think our depth score is what’s going to help us hopefully get to that final step,” said Stone. “We’re going to have a tough group to defend every night. “
Coach Peter DeBoer has a tough time evaluating the new talent, but he’s confident in what he’s seen during what has been his first full training camp.
DeBoer joined the Golden Knights on January 15, 2020, just before the season was cut short due to the pandemic and later ended in a bubble. Its second season began in January. The Golden Knights campaign ended with a third trip to the conference final in four years and ended in a loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
“It’s a weird feeling,” DeBoer said. “I feel like I know the group well. We’ve had long playoffs and been through a lot of battles together, but this is really the first training camp we’ve had. It’s nice to see the outlook. This is something I couldn’t do because of the way things turned out.
RETURN CAPTAIN
Stone is expected to start this season with a chip on his shoulder after finishing scoreless in the Vegas series with Montreal. The right winger, who left the Golden Knights’ opener after being hit in the side of the head by a puck and receiving stitches, only managed seven shots on goal and played under- two to five to five against the Canadiens.
“I learned a lot about simple things in the playoffs,” Stone said. “The regular season went pretty well. It’s a different animal when you come to the playoffs with pressure.
ROBIN ROCKIN
Robin Lehner teamed up with Fleury last season to win the Jennings Trophy for lowest goals against. But with Fleury gone now, the net belongs to Lehner, who was brought in shortly after DeBoer in 2020. Finally, after stops in Buffalo, Long Island and Chicago, Lehner has a legitimate chance to lead a team to a title. the Stanley Cup as Goalkeeper # 1. He ranks second in the league for save percentage (0.923) among goaltenders with 50 or more appearances since 2018-19.
PEYTON PLACE
Normally, a crowded top nine wouldn’t bode well for top prospect Peyton Krebs, but it might not be. Vegas’ 2019 first-round pick made his NHL debut last season, appearing in four games and recording one point. His season ended prematurely after breaking his jaw, but he was well on his way to making the playoff list if he had remained healthy. Krebs is a natural center, but he played on the wing when he was with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights and during his short stint with the Golden Knights. DeBoer said he plans to take a long look at Krebs during the preseason.
POWER LEAKAGE
Power play has been the Golden Knights’ Achilles heel since the first year, but their struggles have been particularly acute in the playoffs. Vegas has gone 0 for 17 on the power play in its last eight playoff games: two against the Colorado Avalanche and the exit of six against the Canadiens. Four of the semi-final games against Montreal were decided by a goal. Three of them went into overtime and Vegas won only one. Vegas finished with the 22nd best power play in the league last season. With talent at the top, the Golden Knights feel there is no excuse not to have top power play.
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