The 2015 draft consolation prize, Jack Eichel, will have finally lifted the Stanley Cup before the first overall pick, Connor McDavid.
But Eichel went through six early eliminations in Buffalo, a serious career-threatening neck injury, a trade to Vegas, and another playoff ban with his new team before reaching the Holy Grail.
At the time of being drafted No. 2 that year, the Las Vegas Golden Knights weren’t even in their infancy…
We should not try too hard to understand the model of Vegas, champion after only six years of existence. We must cry to genius, or to the alignment of the stars.
Conn-Smythe Trophy recipient as playoff MVP Jonathan Marchessault, 25 points, including 13 goals, in 22 games, was made available by the Florida Panthers in the executive release draft to protect two defenders who were no longer in the League two years later.
The third member of this first line with Eichel and Marchessault, Ivan Barbashev, 18 points in 22 playoff games, was obtained at the trade deadline for a Category B prospect.
The second center, Chandler Stephenson, 20 points in 22 playoff games, 65 points in the regular season, had never had 20 points in a season in Washington before being traded in 2019 for a fifth-round pick.
His left wing, Brett Howden, was acquired for a 27-year-old American League defenseman and a fourth-round pick. On the right, Mark Stone was highly coveted when the Senators opted to trade him in 2019, but young defenseman Erik Brannstrom is still slow to fulfill his promises and the player drafted in the second round with the choice of the Knights, Egor Sokolov, is still hanging around in the minors.
Reilly Smith and William Karlsson were obtained in the team’s first joint in 2017. Karlsson was coming off a 25-point season, including just six goals, in 82 games at Columbus. He’s amassed 307 points in 432 games since arriving in Vegas, an average of almost 60 points a year, and 20 points in 22 games in those series. To their right, Mike Amadio was claimed on waivers.
Fourth-line center Nicolas Roy cost more, Erik Haula, but they were looking to free up some payroll. William Carrier was made available in the executive expansion draft.
On defense, Alex Pietrangelo remains the only expensive acquisition: a $61 million, seven-year contract in the free agent market. The club’s top offensive defenseman, Shea Theodore, was given a freebie by the Anaheim Ducks, then just 21, to make sure the Knights didn’t bring in Sami Vatanen or Josh Manson.
Brayden McNabb was also claimed in the executive expansion draft. He was a marginal defender in Los Angeles. Never drafted, Zach Whitecloud was hired when he left the college ranks in 2018. Alec Martinez, Pietrangelo’s partner in the first pair, was obtained in 2019, for two second-round picks.
Goalkeeper Adin Hill’s story has been told extensively in recent weeks. Obtained last year from the San Jose Sharks for a fourth-round pick, he owes his place in the lineup to injuries suffered by Robin Lehner, Laurent Brossoit, then Logan Thompson. We didn’t even see the end of his nose until Game 2 of the second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers. He wasn’t even in uniform for Game 1 of the playoffs. Veteran Jonathan Quick acted as an auxiliary in Brossoit.
Hill was a strong contender for playoff MVP with an 11-2 record, 2.17 GAA and .932 save percentage. His performances could earn him a nice contract in the free agent market, even if the sample is thin.
The Golden Knights had only one player drafted by the organization, Nicolas Hague, a member of the third pair, the least used defenseman in the playoffs.
Five of their six first-round picks since 2017 have been traded. There remains only Brendan Brisson, son of the famous agent Pat Brisson.
The Golden Knights haven’t always hit the bullseye. Nick Suzuki has established himself as the Canadiens’ first center and Max Pacioretty is no longer there, sent to Carolina for a pittance to free up some payroll.
Cody Glass, the sixth overall pick in 2017, settled in Nashville while Nolan Patrick is on the disabled list yet again. But Vegas managers aren’t thinking of Suzuki or Glass this morning.
Several organizations will be looking to emulate the Golden Knights soon. But most are likely to come up short. We don’t imitate Vegas. We admire and we bow…
Golden Knights executives must already plan for the next season and comply with the salary cap. If they sign Adin Hill, they’ll have one goalie too many, but can trade Robin Lehner and his $5 million salary by offering a draft pick to a team whose salary room would allow such a deal.
Barbashev wants to come back to Vegas and the Golden Knights could afford to keep him. But it will probably have to have traded Lehner or another since the team has only 3.4 million space on the mass with 20 players under contract, according to the site capfriendly.com.
In short, nothing major; team leaders can afford to celebrate for a few days.
