(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)
One of the Golden Knights’ biggest focal points in the offseason was getting back to having an “identity line” at the bottom of the lineup. They want more forecheck, more physicality, more matchup flexibility, and ultimately more balance.
The acquisition of Colton Sissons, along with health further up the lineup, will allow for a trio of Brett Howden, Keegan Kolesar, and Sissons to be the group that the Golden Knights hope brings all of it.
When you have a glue line like that, guys that know their role and accept their role and excel in their role that bodes well for your group. I’ve always felt if you have a line like that it’s really good for your team. -Bruce Cassidy
When the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup, their 4th line of William Carrier, Nic Roy, and Kolesar handled the role extremely well. GM Kelly McCrimmon has mentioned the loss of Carrier has been noticeable over the last two years, and the hope is that Sissons will bring some of that style of game back to the fourth line.
But they have to be a threat to go the other way. Otherwise, teams will cheat against your checking line, knowing they can’t finish. If you look at it as it’s made up today, Keegan and Howden both had career years offensively last year. So those guys can hurt you as well. -Cassidy
The challenge for VGK will be keeping that line together. As it’s currently constructed, as Cassidy mentioned, the line has a trio of players who have scored double-digit goals in a season. However, the moment there’s an injury up the lineup, literally any player on any line in any position, the first place Vegas will look to promote a player will be from the 4th line.
Last year, Howden spent more than two-thirds of the season playing further up the lineup. Even Kolesar played about a third of his games on the right wing of the first, second, or third lines.
There’s no question that the combination of Howden, Sissons, and Kolesar appears to be one of the better fourth lines the Golden Knights have ever rostered. The depth below them may cause problems, though.
Last year, players like Alexander Holtz, Brendan Brisson, Victor Olofsson, and even Tanner Pearson all had much more offensive upside to be able to insert further up the lineup. The collection of Cole Schwindt, Raphael Lavoie, Tanner Laczynski, Cole Reinhardt, and Jonas Rondbjerg, this year’s “next man up” group, is much more suited to fill 4th line roles. So, when there’s an injury up the lineup, Howden or Kolesar will certainly be the first choice to go up.
So, that means a lot will fall on Sissons’ shoulders. Can he help keep the identity of that line no matter who his linemates happen to be night in and night out? If he can, the flexibility Howden and Kolesar offer will keep the currently dominant top-nine looking that way even amidst injuries. If he can’t, though, the problem VGK hoped they fixed this summer will still be in need of a solution.
