By Ed Condran
“Just win, baby!” would be a perfect phrase for the Vegas Golden Knights if it weren’t patented by late Raiders owner Al Davis. The iconic face of the Raiders would have loved the Golden Knights since the hockey club has been very successful since its inception in 2019-2020.
The Golden Knights are 88 games above .500 in their first five seasons, which is unprecedented and ridiculous. The Golden Knights also won a Stanley Cup in only its fourth season in the league. To put it in perspective, the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the NHL’s original six, hasn’t hoisted Lord Stanley since 1967. Many of the Golden Knights’ parents were yet to be born.
The Golden Knights started its 2024-2025 campaign 3-0, and the season is promising. A huge highlight was battering archrival the Colorado Avalanche. The Golden Knights have considerable talent with Jack Eichel, who scored 31 goals in 63 games last season, Ivan Barbeshev and Tomas Hertl.
The latter, who was picked up in March with a trade with the San Jose Sharks, is a magician with the puck and should make up for the loss of Jonathan Marchessault. Five of the six defensemen who were regulars for Las Vegas during The Stanley Cup championship run in 2023 are back. Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, Zach Whitecloud and Nicolas Hague are solid.
Noah Hanifin was a big deadline acquisition and has bolstered an already strong group of blueliners. Adin Hill is back in goal with Ilya Samsonov backing him up. The core is strong, and expectations are high as usual in Golden Knights country in Las Vegas.
The wildcard for the Golden Knights is Alexander Holtz, who was surprisingly traded by the New Jersey Devils. The highly touted Holtz, who is just 22, was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft.
The Devils for some reason never gave Holtz a chance to live up to expectations. The Golden Knights may have picked up a youngster who has the chance to score 30 goals a season. If Holtz is on a line with the sublime Hertl, expect some serious numbers.
The Western Conference is always filled with challenging teams. The Edmonton Oilers, who are led by arguably the best player in the game with Connor McDavid, are always tough, and the same goes for the Avalanche. However, there is so much talent throughout the Golden Knights roster. And then there is the culture, which screams, “Just win, baby!”
