The Vegas Golden Knights Downfall is Alarming

The saga of the Vegas Golden Knights downfall is alarming. Here’s a club who went to the Stanley Cup Final in their initial season. They failed to qualify for the 2021-22 playoffs even though they tallied 94 points with a 43-31-8 record. They missed a wildcard spot in the West by just three points with the Nashville Predators grabbing the last position for the postseason.

The Golden Knights Downfall Has Many Factors

Injuries certainly didn’t aid in their dismissal from postseason play. The fact that their starting goalie, Robin Lehner missed games due to a shoulder injury was enough. Then, it was reported on August 11th that he would miss the entire upcoming 2022-23 season due to hip surgery. That leaves the net duties to Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit. Brossoit also had hip surgery, but is expected to be back for the new season.

The scary part is what if Brossoit goes down? The Vegas club would be pressed to make a trade and bring in another netminder to backup Thompson. Injuries happen to most every NHL team, and is part of the game. It just seems that the Golden Knights downfall can be attributed partly to missing key players when needed.

Recently, GM Kelly McCrimmon admitted that the team will more than likely stick with their two inexperienced goalies rather than seek another through the trade route.

Kelly McCrimmon says the Golden Knights will go with the tandem of Laurent Brossoit and Logan Thompson in net.

— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) August 25, 2022

Mark Stone, a formidable forward only participated in 37 games last season. His 1.11 points per game average was sorely missed. Others also missed valuable ice time for the team. Alec Martinez only played 26 games. Reilly Smith was on the ice for only 56 games. Max Pacioretty was in the lineup for 39 games, and newly acquired expensive ($10M) forward Jack Eichel only played 34 games.

Other Issues Have Contributed to the Golden Knights Downfall

Some front office decisions certainly hasn’t helped the plight of the Sin-city team. Some questionable trades have come back to haunt them. When they traded for Pacioretty giving up a second-round pick, Tomas Tatar, and young talent Nick Suzuki heads were spinning. Suzuki had 21 goals, 40 assists last season and while in Montreal he has averaged 0.68 points per game. While Pacioretty is a good scorer in his own right, with a 0.87 points per game average, he was unceremoniously dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes along with Dylan Coghlan for “future considerations.”

That whole deal could be because Pacioretty is injury prone and the team had its usual salary cap issues. Managing the cap hasn’t been an especially skilled art of the Vegas front office. While they have dealt with it by using the long-term injury reserve to its limits, it has caused them to be forced to make unwise decisions.

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Many Feel Marc-Andre Fleury Should Still be With the Team

Trading Fleury seemed to really accelerate the Golden Knights downfall. While he was a very popular player, he was also a very effective goalie. It makes no sense to let a goalie of his stature go, but again the salary cap issue bit the team where it hurts. At the time, his $7 million cap hit just wasn’t manageable. It seems ironic that now the team is REALLY missing his acrobatic saves in net. As they say, karma can come back to get you.

Jack Eichel Acquisition Was Not Wise

It seems that Kelly McCrimmon and owner Bill Foley are more interested in making a big splash than they are in managing the team’s finances. Certainly, most will agree that Eichel is a star player, but they got him after he had controversial neck surgery. That alone should throw up a red flag that things could go south. The price they paid to get Eichel may never be recovered. They gave up Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs to get Eichel who still has four more years on that hefty $10 million AAV contract.

Increased Competition in the West Will Not Help Either

The Los Angeles Kings have improved as well as the Anaheim Ducks in the Pacific Division. The Kings added Kevin Fiala who contributed 33 goals, 52 assists in 82 games last season. He didn’t come cheap with a seven-year $7.87 million AAV deal. He will certainly increase the competition for Vegas.

The Ducks are an up-and-coming young team who may keep the Golden Knights from advancing in the standings. They added Ryan Strome and already have young phenom Trevor Zegras who tallied 23 goals, 38 assists in 75 games last season. Then, Mason McTavish who helped Canada grab the gold in the 2022 World Junior Championship will join the Ducks. Anaheim is loaded and will surely give Vegas a run in the standings.

Even the Vancouver Canucks who made a run for the playoffs but fell short can be battling Vegas for a spot in the postseason.

Vegas Has Its Work Cut Out For Them

Hopefully, the Golden Knights won’t be battling any more injuries as they did in the 2021-22 campaign. If Eichel stays healthy and can contribute even more than last season, the Golden Knights may be alright. Cap-wise with the LTIR of both Shea Weber ($7,857,143) and Robin Lehner ($5 million), the remaining $7.7 million can finally give Vegas some breathing room to sign Nicolas Hague, who is still unsigned. And, it could definitely be enough to sign a backup goalie if need be.

Predicted Finish for 2022-23 Season

With other teams much improved, it seems the Vegas Golden Knights will be hard-pressed to make the playoffs once again. There are many variables to consider, and adding Phil Kessel may help a bit, but it won’t get them there. They will once again obtain about 90 points and that won’t be enough to get to the postseason.