It’s been a while since the Golden Knights have gotten off to anything but a rousing start to the season. Each of the last five years, Vegas has won at least nine of their first 15 games, and in three of them, they reached double digits. This year’s team is the first one since 2018-19 (Year 2) in which the team has lost more games than they’ve won in the first 15.
Record Through 15 Games
25-26: 7-4-4, 18 points
24-25: 9-4-2, 20 points
23-24: 12-2-1, 25 points
22-23: 13-2-0, 26 points
21-22: 9-6-0, 18 points *Coach fired after season*
20-21: 10-4-1, 21 points
19-20: 8-5-2, 18 points *Coach Fired Midseason*
18-19: 6-8-1, 13 points
17-18: 9-5-1, 19 points
Even more concerning is the record at home, which has taken a major hit on this 1-3-1 homestand. It ends with a final game against the Islanders on Thursday. VGK’s 4-3-2 record is tied with the 2019-20 (Year 3) for the worst ever.
Home Record In First 9 Home Games
25-26: 4-3-2
24-25: 8-1-0
23-24: 7-1-1
22-23: 6-3-0
21-22: 5-4-0 *Coach fired after season*
20-21: 8-2-1
19-20: 4-3-2 *Coach Fired Midseason*
18-19: 5-2-1
17-18: 8-1-0
As unfamiliar as this is to the Golden Knights, it’s even more unfamiliar to Bruce Cassidy.
Cassidy Teams Record After 15 Games
25-26: 7-4-4, 18 points
24-25: 9-4-2, 20 points
23-24: 12-2-1, 25 points
22-23: 13-2-0, 26 points
21-22: 9-6-0, 18 points *Fired at end of season*
20-21: 10-3-2, 22 points
19-20: 11-2-2, 24 points
18-19: 8-5-2, 18 points
17-18: 6-5-4, 16 points
03-04: 3-11-1, 7 points *Fired after 28 games*
02-03: 8-6-1, 17 points
Cassidy’s teams have reached the playoffs each of the previous nine seasons, and only once have his teams failed to win more games than they’ve lost in his first 15 games. In Cassidy’s first season in Boston, the team started 6-7-4 and was in 27th place in the NHL after six weeks. Then, they ripped off 43 wins in their next 60 games to finish with 112 points, ahead of the inaugural season Golden Knights.
All of this isn’t to say the sky is falling in Vegas after the 7-4-4 start. It’s not. The Golden Knights still hold a .600 points percentage, which would be plenty good enough to qualify for the playoffs. In fact, no team in modern NHL history has ever failed to reach the playoffs with at least a .600 points percentage.
What this is saying, though, is that they are on much thinner ice than they’re used to at this point. The last few seasons, VGK have experienced what we’ve dubbed a “midseason malaise.” Last year’s team went 11-11-5 from January to mid-March. The year before, they went 12-17-2 from mid-December to early March. And even the Stanley Cup champion team was 16-16-4 after the nearly perfect 13-2-0 start.
There’s a reasonable chance that when the Golden Knights hit the ice next, they’ll be on the outside of the playoff cut line looking in. It’s a long season, and playoff spots aren’t awarded in November, but there’s no denying the fact that the pressure ramps up on teams with high expectations that aren’t in the position they believe they should be.
This team will feel it.
They need to start channelling it into better results soon.
TS
It’a unthinkable what a mid- season.slump could do to the team AND Cassidy’s Psyches. Any sport is part skills, part luck and part mental. Something has to change, improve before any more damage is done. IDK how Cassidy will fix this,but the trend is downward..
.no place to go but UP from here!
Larry
As Metallica might sing… Sad but true!
Larry
Put this into the WHO Woulda Thunk It category:
Must see TV
Ducks at Avs!!
I’ll be watching and looking forward to a back and forth entertaining game between the 2 top teams in the Western Conference.
Pistol Pete
A real possibility should he want to return to Vegas? Turns 30 May 2026. Would have to trade away a major contract to make it work.
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Alex Tuch is in the final year of a seven-year, $33.25 million contract with a $4.75 million cap hit, which expires at the end of the 2025-26 season, making him an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in 2026. Contract negotiations for an extension with the Buffalo Sabres have been paused (“on the backburner”) to allow Tuch to focus on the season, but talks are ongoing.
https://www.nhl.com/sabres/player/alex-tuch-8477949
Pistol Pete
I too see the Theo struggles but doubt they are systemic to the point of being uncorrectable. To assume it is not addressable seems unrealistic. His numbers though down are not bad. Fine, no goals but six assists (+3) is respectable especially given Marner pushed him off the top PP unit the first 6 games. Maybe I am wrong and McCrimmon is viewing him as a potential trade but I really doubt that.
https://www.nhl.com/goldenknights/player/shea-theodore-8477447
Leonard Wise
What about the turnovers at the worst times. I agree he should be better than this but the eye test says he’s not right now.
Larry
And…. And…. And… we have 6 more years of this to look forward to, personally I was waiting out Pietrangelo’s contract over the last 2 years….and now this????
steve
I agree with both of those points, its definitely not a popular thing to say about petro, but its speaking the truth.
Oh and by the way, the Sharks are now ahead of us in the standings!!!!
Pistol Pete
I would say the majority of posters here have become Shea Theodore detractors a sad state of affairs. I am looking forward to him proving them wrong. He still has the confidence of teammates, coach and GM at least I think he does.
Look, no question he has committed turnovers that have perhaps cost at least a game. This is true and it needs to slow down. Ten gets you one it’s being addressed. When players have issues it gets addressed by the coach health permitting. Now if there are long term health issues that is a different discussion anything is possible.
Mark
It might help if you guys would hit. I played rugby for 18 years, and a 5’6″, 170, I routinely took down much bigger guys. HIT!
Pistol Pete
We sure do need a run beginning with the Islanders, Blues, Wild, Rangers, Mammoth, Ducks, Mammoth. Senators, Canadiens….
Only real dog in the Pacific is CGY with 10 pts everyone else is 17 and above. Go Knights Go!!!!