What exactly are we seeing right now from Vegas?

[Howboutthempanthers]

Aside from the media making stories. Of course they are pretty good. They are a veteran team. I'm sure some teams out there would like to pluck some vets for their team. Florida had a similar run too. Eventually they will come down to earth. They will need to build for the future. Not sure I like the "get handed a good team" approach to expansion teams.

Florida self destructed. You can't assume Vegas (or any sane team, really) will do that.

 

[chizzler]

Florida self destructed. You can't assume Vegas (or any sane team, really) will do that.

You are correct. I'm not saying they are headed for failure this year. They need to look at building a expansion team. They need assets. This year is a bonus. Don't be surprised if you see DD deals with them.

 

[tucker3434]

Seriously. An expansion team with 23 players that have never played together before are currently 1st place in the Western conference near midway through the season. Everyone, myself included predicted them as a bottom 5 team in the league. Every expansion team that has ever come into the NHL has had embarrassingly bad records their inaugural years no matter who they drafted and signed in the offseason.

Is Vegas a top team? A middle of the pack team getting some good puck luck? Or are we seeing a fluke from a bad team that will eventually run out of gas?

Yeah, that. At least, that’s what the numbers seem to indicate. But it’s still way better than I expected them to be this year.

 

[Android 16]

Can't really have an issue with that contract. Best contract in the league.

Salary cut.

 

[Straight Fire]

My only concern is developing a fan base, from relative scratch, that has yet to endure truly shitty hockey. I'd hate to see this team pack up and leave in 7 or 8 years if they go through a prolonged several year rebuild and losing record. Hopefully that doesn't happen and the fans prove better than average. Just saying that is a downside potential to this. But all that said, phenomenal start. Beyond anyone's most outlandish expectations.

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

My only concern is developing a fan base, from relative scratch, that has yet to endure truly ****ty hockey. I'd hate to see this team pack up and leave in 7 or 8 years if they go through a prolonged several year rebuild and losing record. Hopefully that doesn't happen and the fans prove better than average. Just saying that is a downside potential to this. But all that said, phenomenal start. Beyond anyone's most outlandish expectations.

Yeah this is a concern. I have some acquaintances in Vegas and they think this is the real deal, that they are just going to keep winning. If the team goes into a prolonged or several year stretch of losing, it could be rough on expectations and fans.

Good for Vegas though, they are coached to a "T".

 

[WickedPegJets]

Looking at the fancy stats, they're probably not this good, but they won't plummet as far as you might think. They're very good.

On paper, I don't get it at all, but on the ice, it's there.

The main reason the Vegas Knights are so good is because they have a players’ head coach in Gerald Gallant whom his players will do anything he tells them to do. Gallant will win the Jack Adams award hands down with the Jets’ HC Paul Maurice a distant second.

In forking $500M for an expansion team, the Knights’ owner received some really good players that the 30 existing teams weren’t able to protect, players like Marc Andre Fleury, Marchesault, etc. A great head coach and very good players = the most successful first year NHL expansion team ever.

 

[Howie Hodge]

Color me wrong when I figured, as did many here, that their bubble would burst this season at some point!

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

They are 19-3-1 when either their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd string goalies are playing. Yikes.

 

[GodEmperor]

They are 19-3-1 when either their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd string goalies are playing. Yikes.

Yeah but their 5th string goalie depth is pathetic! You just cannot win with 5th stringers like that!!!

 

[MoreOrr]

Hypothetical question:

If Vegas wins the President's Trophy (let's not even think what they might do in the Playoffs, as that Season has started yet), should there be serious talk that the League went too far with the changes it made to the Expansion Draft during an era in the NHL where there is so much parity?

 

[pabst blue ribbon]

Hypothetical question:

If Vegas wins the President's Trophy (let's not even think what they might do in the Playoffs, as that Season has started yet), should there be serious talk that the League went too far with the changes it made to the Expansion Draft during an era in the NHL where there is so much parity?

The expansion rules are fine, it's the fact that an NHL franchise decided to lose two top 6 guys for nothing and give them a great coach to boot

 

[John Matthews]

Seriously. An expansion team with 23 players that have never played together before are currently 1st place in the Western conference near midway through the season. Everyone, myself included predicted them as a bottom 5 team in the league. Every expansion team that has ever come into the NHL has had embarrassingly bad records their inaugural years no matter who they drafted and signed in the offseason.

Is Vegas a top team? A middle of the pack team getting some good puck luck? Or are we seeing a fluke from a bad team that will eventually run out of gas?

Well some could say HF was wrong and GMGM knew what he was doing....
If the VGK are a bad team then 28 other teams are considered bad.
Did anyone think about the situation they are in vs the previous expansions?
1 team entering vs 2,3,6 means they get quality players.

The don't really boast many 4th liners, many 2nd and 3rd liners which were either young or tossed aside by the team. Neal and Perron are first line players (or at least were for much of their careers). Taking the Center depth they did helped a lot as well.

William Karlsson took the entry draft to heart and showed up this year and is having a career year. I always hoped he may be traded to the Pens last summer for Cole to play 3c but he's suited for the top six and I'm glad he's flourishing in LV.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

Vegas fans take this is a compliment.... The Knights do not stray from their system. Every player buys in and they have good goaltending.

 

[brock0791]

the fact that they basically have a bunch of second lines, full of decent players. Maybe you don't need stars, you just need everyone to know how to play hockey a decent level.

Funny how this way of building a team is the exact opposite of the Penguins/Blackhawks method that was thought to be the prevailing way

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

Funny how this way of building a team is the exact opposite of the Penguins/Blackhawks method that was thought to be the prevailing way

There is no one way to build a team. What you need to have is good leadership up top, they can make it work.

 

[Scott Stevens]

Ok. I have wanted to refute this point for a long time. But no longer can. Obviously players are way too “woo Vegas woo” when their team is in Nevada. They aren’t ready to play. Like I said, I didn’t believe it until the last day of the year.

Las Vegas 6-3 Toronto

The mighty cup champs this year and next and next and next would not lose unless there was other stuff going on.

Now we know.

 

[VanIslander]

Their big free agent, who I think was supposed to be their #1C, since they had nothing proven there, barely played a game, and left the team for Russia.

Indeed, the unnecessariness of a superstar #1C was apparent from the get go. Vegas was a dominant team before that Russian ever laced up (after whining about Chicago) and when he left it was good riddance.

This team ain't built on 1C or 1G but on GM decisions, coaching and depth of work ethic on the blueline and up front. Take away Neal and Fleury and the team still succeeds. It ain't a one- or two-trick pony (unless their names are Gallant and McPhee).

 

[Bounces R Way]

One of, if not the best, story in sports. This team is playing for each other and their newfound home. The jerseys look great as does the arena. The NHL doesn't do a whole lot of things right but they nailed this one. Really looking forward to going to a game there.

 

[BenchBrawl]

If I'm the Vegas GM, I'm pissed.I won't get a top pick, and it's clear the team will sink next year once they run out of magic.

 

[Drij]

Teams just haven't figured out how to play against them yet.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Hypothetical question:

If Vegas wins the President's Trophy (let's not even think what they might do in the Playoffs, as that Season has started yet), should there be serious talk that the League went too far with the changes it made to the Expansion Draft during an era in the NHL where there is so much parity?

If people didn't think they'd be, at best, a bottom 10 team, or maybe sneak into the playoffs if absolutely everything went right, then maybe. After the expansion draft, who was saying this roster is going to be the 2nd highest scoring team in the league by the Winter Classic?

 

[AnomX]

Yeah I hate overachieving too, then people expect it out of me day in day out.

Vegas doing well in their first year is the best thing that could of ever happened for them and the NHL.

 

[Soundgarden]

If I'm the Vegas GM, I'm pissed.I won't get a top pick, and it's clear the team will sink next year once they run out of magic.

Why? Most of their core players are in their early-mid 20's, they just drafted three players who are doing great in the first round last year and they have 30 picks in the next three years, including 10 picks in the first two rounds.

They can have sustained success without having to suck it up. And what if their players are actually good? A lot of people aren't giving them credit, instead going with some ludicrous idea that professional players are getting hammered and enjoying the strip clubs until they are they can't skate right the next night. What if Marchessault, Smith, Neal, Perron, Haula, Tuch and Karlsson are actually top 6 forwards?

 

[BattleBorn]

Ok. I have wanted to refute this point for a long time. But no longer can. Obviously players are way too “woo Vegas woo” when their team is in Nevada. They aren’t ready to play. Like I said, I didn’t believe it until the last day of the year.

Las Vegas 6-3 Toronto

The mighty cup champs this year and next and next and next would not lose unless there was other stuff going on.

Now we know.

The Leafs volunteered as the first visiting team to not stay on the Strip and the results remain the same as most of the other teams that did stay on The Strip.

It's not scientific, but we all appreciate the future cup champs taking the bullet in our Vegas flu experiment.