This offseason was unexpectedly long for the Vegas Golden Knights. After capturing another Division Title during one of the best regular seasons in franchise history, expectations were sky-high heading into the playoffs.
But in the postseason, they hit a wall. In round one, the Golden Knights regressed defensively and struggled against a weaker Minnesota Wild team. Things didn’t improve from there, and their season ended with a true thrashing at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers in the second round.
That’s all behind them now.
On Thursday, Training Camp opens. Finally, the Golden Knights can fully put the 2024-25 season behind them and turn the page.
Here are three burning questions for the Golden Knights heading into Training Camp.
Where does Marner slot in?
When the Golden Knights acquired Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the general assumption was that Marner would play with Jack Eichel.
That’s not necessarily the case.
Oh, I’m sure they’ll get their looks together– the Golden Knights would be remiss not to try. Simply put, Marner and Eichel are elite players. They’re both defensively sound and capable of putting up 100 points in a single season. Marner might be the first player truly capable of keeping up with Eichel, both physically and mentally, since Jonathan Marchessault.
However, Marner and Eichel are both pass-first to a fault. And sure, in theory, a pure sniper like Pavel Dorofeyev could ride shotgun as the designated shooter. But last season, Dorofeyev found himself a home alongside Tomáš Hertl and the freshly extended Brandon Saad. Will the Golden Knights break that lineup? Could they slide Saad down in the lineup and give Hertl another elite winger in Mitch Marner?
Or, maybe they’ll keep the top two lines as is. Maybe the Golden Knights will try Marner alongside William Karlsson and Reilly Smith, two defensively sound players who can really shoot the puck. Karlsson scored 43 goals in 2017-18– could Marner get him back to those heights?
One thing is for certain– Mitch Marner makes the Golden Knights a much better, deeper hockey team.
What do the power play units look like?
The Golden Knights aren’t just responsible for identifying Mitch Marner’s linemates. No, they also have to find him a vacancy on the power play. It’s hard to imagine them leaving Marner– who scored six goals and recorded 33 power play points– off the first unit.
However, it’s not that simple.
Last season, the Golden Knights were absolutely lethal when on the man advantage. Their 28.3 power play percentage wasn’t just a franchise best– it was second in the entire league. When healthy, they were close to automatic, and that was due in no small part to their personnel.
Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin both had successful stints quarterbacking the top unit from the point. Mark Stone recorded a career-best 25 power play points net front and below the goal line. Pavel Dorofeyev exploded for 13 power play goals as the one-time option. In the bumper, Tomáš Hertl led the team with a career-high 14 power play goals. The power play ran through Jack Eichel on the halfwall, and his 29 power play assists propelled him to a franchise-best 66 assists on the season.
So where does Marner fit into all of this?
There’s no guarantee that the Golden Knights can recreate the success of a power play that had close to a 30% success rate before Jack Eichel’s injury. However, it’s still hard to determine which forward Marner should replace.
So, maybe he doesn’t replace a forward. Maybe the Golden Knights try a five-forward power play with Marner as the quarterback. It’s not unthinkable– the Los Angeles Kings trot out five forwards on their top power play unit. So, too, did the Toronto Maple Leafs last season with, you guessed it, Marner running point.
Only time will tell.
Is Korczak ready to be an 82-game player?
This summer, the Golden Knights made headlines when they acquired Mitch Marner. However, equally important was the player they lost: Alex Pietrangelo.
Last season, it became apparent that Pietrangelo was suffering from a lingering injury. He withdrew from the 4 Nations Faceoff tournament with the hopes that the extended break would be enough time to recover. At first, the results were positive, but over time, Pietrangelo’s injury reared its ugly head once more.
Unfortunately for the Golden Knights and Pietrangelo alike, this story doesn’t have a happy ending. Pietrangelo’s injury kept him out of the Golden Knights’ final postseason game, and over the summer, he announced that he’d be stepping away from hockey to focus on his health.
Pietrangelo has been extremely important to the Golden Knights since signing in Vegas during the 2020 offseason. He lived up to the hype and was worth every penny of his $61.6 million contract. His essential retirement leaves a gaping hole not only in the lineup but also in the locker room.
Pietrangelo’s are big shoes to fill, but the Golden Knights have no choice. During a press conference on July 1st, general manager Kelly McCrimmon identified Zach Whitecloud and Kaedan Korczak as players who will have more responsibilities this season. One day later, McCrimmon backed up his words, signing Korczak to a four-year contract extension.
Is the young defenseman ready for his new role? He played well last season, but the jump from 40 games to a full season isn’t always an easy one. There’s sure to be growing pains, and only time will tell how he adjusts and how long of a leash he’s given.
The Golden Knights clearly believe that Korczak can be their next developmental success story. Now, it’s time to see if he can rise to the occasion.