Vegas Golden Knights: Ranking their captain candidates

Deryk Engelland

Deryk Engelland holds a close grip to the city of Las Vegas, as he has lived there for many years (long before the Golden Knights), met his wife in Vegas when he played in the minors, his sons were born there, and he gave one of the most impactful speeches after the tragic shooting in Vegas in 2017.

When Engelland joined the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft in 2017, he was 35-years-old and his career seemed to be winding down. Currently, at 36 years of age, his career seems to be rejuvenated, as he is coming off of his career high in points (23) last season and he’s having a decent 2018-19 season with 10 points.

Before coming to Vegas, Engelland was a long-time tough guy for the Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins. With the Golden Knights, Engelland’s role seems to have changed as he is more of a reliable bottom three defenseman that can create scoring chances and kill penalties.

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In 616 NHL games played, he has scored 29 goals, racked up 90 assists and clocked 536 penalty minutes. As for the 2018-19 season, Engelland has scored two goals and registered eights assists in 68 games played.

Out of all the players on the Golden Knights, Engelland is the most qualified and deserving player to be named the team captain. The 6’2” and 214-pound defenseman knows what it takes to win and be a part of a winning culture, as shown through his five years with the Penguins and his 2017-18 season with the Knights.

The only thing that would hold management back from naming Engelland captain is the fact that he is 36 and is on the last year of his current contract. It is very likely he will only continue playing in the NHL if he is offered a contract extension from Vegas. With the amount of success Engelland has had in the past two seasons, it is only fair of management offers his a one or two year deal.

With the new deal, one of the incentives should be that Engelland will serve as captain.  As the oldest member of the Golden Knights and a long-time resident of Vegas, Engelland provides everything Vegas is seeking for in their captain search.