Golden Knights should remain competitive even if key players move

Vegas Golden Knights

Last season: 45-29-8, losing in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.

COACH: Bruce Cassidy (388-206-9-70 over 11 seasons with 3 teams, 1 Stanley Cup title)

SEASON OPENING: October 9 vs. Colorado.

DEPARTURES: F Jonathan Marchessault, F Chandler Stephenson, F William Carrier.

SUPPLEMENTS: F Victor Olofsson, F Tanner Pearson, G Ilya Samsonov.

GOALS: Adin Hill (35-19-12-2, 2.71 GAA, .909 save percentage) and Samsonov (40-23-7-8, 3.13 GAA, .890).

BETMGM STANLEY CUP ODDS: 16-1.

What to expect

It's the season of change, with six players departing from last season's team, including five who were part of the 2023 Stanley Cup champion club. Marchessault, the heart and soul of the locker room, was the biggest name to leave. On the way to the Nashville Predators. His team-leading 42 goals will be difficult to replace, but with players like Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and William Karlsson, the Golden Knights should at least remain a playoff contender. Whether Vegas is a true Cup contender may be a little tricky, but probably no team would want to face an experienced and proven Knights team in an elimination game.

Strengths and weaknesses

The Good: Vegas is deep on defense and Cassidy's style of pushing the action to the boards should be combined with blue-liners like Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin to keep the Golden Knights in almost every game. Shea Theodore is a great two-way player whose 37 assists are tied for the team lead. Despite some key losses, the Golden Knights remain a dangerous offensive team with the three top scorers returning to Marchessault. If Tomas Hertl If he returns to his form with the San Jose Sharks, he would provide a huge boost and take the pressure off the other scorers. And when Hill is in goal, he's as good as anyone in the NHL.

The not-so-good: It's hard to imagine that losing players like Marchessault and Stephenson won't have an impact. Is there another 42-goal scorer in the squad? Probably not. Captain Mark Stone is a tough forward who can lead the team on certain nights, but whether he can stay healthy is a big concern. Stone missed a lot of time He hasn't been successful in each of the last two seasons, and he clearly wasn't back to full strength last year when he returned in time for the playoffs. Speaking of health, Hill hasn't shown that he can be relied upon to last a full season. He was probably not close to 100% when he had problems in the home stretch last season.

Player to keep an eye on

All eyes will be on Eichel with Marchessault gone and Stone's health almost always in question. Eichel had his own injury issues and missed 19 games last season, but he was still just one point behind Marchessault with 68 points and a total of 31 goals and 37 assists. No other Knights player is as much of a wizard as Eichel can often be with the puck, weaving through traffic to either get a good shot on goal or make a precise pass to a teammate with an even better look. His contract still runs for two years and pays $10 million per year, so the almost 28-year-old has plenty of incentive to start what is probably his best career.

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