Vegas Golden Knights: 3 key players for next season

The Vegas Golden Knights are coming off a historic Cinderella story season. How will they manage to meet this season’s expectations?

The Vegas Golden Knights had the greatest inaugural season in NHL history. They finished first in the Pacific Division by eight points and went to the Stanley Cup Finals. How could they possibly follow that up?

The Golden Knights were a team composed of players that were “discarded”. The players dubbed themselves the “Golden Misfits” and played like they had nothing to lose. This team gave the chance for players to play a bigger role than they would have if they stayed with their previous team. The most dangerous opponents are the ones who have nothing to lose and Vegas had a whole team of them.

Their speed, offense, and showmanship fascinated the league and created a hockey experience like no other. Players that have never been heard of put up career numbers and everything was surreal. Now, they’ve completed the first season and the magic is wearing off. They have to prove to the league that this team isn’t a fluke and will need these three key players to step up.

3. William Karlsson

William Karlsson had a career year and lead the team in both goals (43) and points (78). But when he became an RFA, he didn’t get a long-term deal.

The biggest reason being the fact that his shooting percentage was abnormally high. On average, players score goals on 12 percent of their shots. Karlsson’s shooting percentage last season was 23.4 percent. His previous totals were nowhere near what he got last season.

Karlsson ended up signing a one-year extension with the Golden Knights and this season is his chance to prove to the league that he is not a one-hit wonder and that he deserves a big contract.

“I believe I can have another productive year, show that last season was no fluke and earn something long term.”

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2. Paul Stastny

A big problem that plagued Vegas in the Stanley Cup Final was their center depth. They just couldn’t match up with Washington which lost them a lot of positioning and let the Capitals dictate the play. The acquisition of Paul Stastny is meant to address this problem.

He’s a good two-way defender with a lot of offensive upsides. He’s an assist machine and averaged over 18 minutes last season. In the offseason, the Knights lost two important offensive players in James Neal and David Perron. Stastny will be relied upon to fill that void as well as add some much-needed center depth.

1. Marc -Andre Fleury

In 46 games with the Golden Knights, Marc-Andre Fleury played the best season of his career. The .927 save percentage and 2.24 goals against average was the biggest reason why Vegas was such a force. In the summer, he signed a three-year extension worth $21 million and is not looking back.

“It’s weird, a couple of years ago I was told I was getting too old to play. I still love it. Vegas gave me an opportunity to continue doing what I love and I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. I hope I finish my career here.”

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If Fleury didn’t miss so many games with a concussion, he would have definitely won the Vezina. He’s such a dominant force on the ice and the players and the fans love him. He’s one of those rare players that are beloved by all and the Golden Knights need him to continue his dominance if they want to finish what they started.

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