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Penalty Kill Minutes Are “Out There For Somebody,” Eichel Took Many In First Preseason Game

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

In his first preseason game of the year, Jack Eichel was the first player over the boards on multiple occasions when the Golden Knights were tasked with killing a penalty.

We didn’t use him a lot on the kill (last year). With Reilly Smith’s minutes, they’re out there for somebody. -Cassidy

Eichel played 2:19 of shorthanded time and took three faceoffs with a teammate in the box. Only once all season (including pre and postseason) last year did Eichel play more on the penalty kill than he did last night.

Without Nic Roy as a right shot center we used Jack for draws, so he started a lot of the kills. It’s something I talked to Jack about doing a little more of so we’ll see how it goes. He’s a smart guy, can pressure pucks, and you saw it with our kill tonight, I thought it was pretty effective. -Cassidy

While everyone’s fairly certain Eichel will dominate on the penalty kill the same way he does just about every other aspect of the game, there’s a cost that comes with it, and Cassidy isn’t blind to it.

With the PK, that’s something we can build into his game, it’s at what expense? How many minutes does he get? Or are you better off spreading it around to other guys to keep them in the game more. -Cassidy

Last night, Cassidy chose to limit Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson’s time on the penalty kill in favor of taking a look at players like Mason Morelli, Jonas Rondbjerg, Jakub Demek, and Jakub Brabenec. He’s considering doing the same in the regular season with a pair of fourth liners.

Both Kolesar and Carrier, I brought that up last year that I’d like them to kill more, it didn’t work out that way, no fault to them, I used other people. They’ve been killing now against our guys in practice for a year so there’s an opportunity for those two. There’s a little bit of by committee this year for that particular spot. -Cassidy

Managing minutes is going to be a massive story all season for the Golden Knights. Cassidy has already made it clear he’s not willing to give players games off for rest, so he’ll have to do pick and choose his spots inside of games instead.

There are many reasons it’s so hard to repeat as champions in the NHL, workload is among the strongest of them. Having Eichel as an option to help kill penalties is certainly beneficial for the Golden Knights, but he can’t be overused. Cassidy is keenly aware of it, he’ll just have to get reasonable contributions from others to make sure he can actually stick to it.

Eichel & Draisaitl Agree Playoff Series Came Down To Depth

(Photo Credit: @_jkarsh on Instagram)

On the night of May 15th, 2023, after the Golden Knights eliminated the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the 2023 NHL playoffs Jack Eichel and Leon Draisaitl walked into two very different locker rooms. Eichel was promptly drenched with celebratory champagne and puffed on Ashton Aged Maduro’s with his jubilant teammates. Draisaitl stepped into a locker room that was emotional, furious, and unsatisfied with how their season abruptly ended. In fact, it was in that moment Oilers captain Connor McDavid sternly stated that he and his teammates were on notice.

We’ve heard the story now from a few places, that he cleared all but the closest team staff out of the room and laid down the parameters for his franchise going forward. That the window for learning how to win was slamming shut, and the time for applying those lessons — and winning Stanley Cups — has officially begun. – Mark Spector on Sportsnet.ca

Now, both Pacific Division contenders are preparing for a new 82-game regular season with a mutual agreement on how that six-game series ended in mid-May. In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 32 Thoughts blog, Draisaitl noticed the difference of quality bench players on VGK’s side.

At the NHL/NHLPA media tour in Las Vegas, Jack Eichel said the difference between Edmonton and Vegas in that second-round series was depth. Leon Draisaitl conceded that, but added, “We couldn’t get to our top game…They didn’t make those little mistakes we made and that was the difference.” –Elliotte Friedman in 32 Thoughts

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Assistant Coach John Stevens Details What A Team Needs To Win The Stanley Cup

Golden Knights assistant coach John Stevens knows what it takes to win in the NHL. As an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings, Stevens was the architect of one of the best defensive units in the league leading the Kings to a pair of Stanley Cup titles in 2012 and 2014. When he came to Las Vegas, he stood behind the Golden Knights bench and oversaw a defensive unit that dominated night in and night out on their way to the promised land again.

Stevens recently sat down with hockey author, podcaster, and skills coach Anthony Donskov to chat about Vegas’ run to the Cup. The brother of former Golden Knights assistant Misha Donskov dove deep into many of Stevens’ philosophies in an excellent interview well worth a listen from start to finish.

Donskov asked Stevens what are the tangible assets a team must have to win. Stevens gave him a three-pronged answer.

You have to start with personnel. The teams that I’ve won with both in the American League and the National League it seems that the consistent thing with those teams is being really good down the middle of the ice with centermen and really good on the back end. –John Stevens on The HPH Podcast with Anthony Donskov

Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, Chandler Stevenson, and Nic Roy. Yeah, the Golden Knights were pretty darn good down the center. On the back end, they had the best unit in the NHL. Check and Check.

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2023-24 Fantasy Rankings: Where Do Vegas’ Stars Land?

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Yesterday, many Americans were glued to their TV sets or streaming devices watching the first Sunday of the NFL season. For some, professional football is a religion. They wake up, turn on the pregame show, grill up some brats, and most importantly set their fantasy lineups. The NHL is not known for being a mass fantasy sport but it’s widely popular among diehard puckheads. This week the best 2023-24 fantasy player rankings came out and several Golden Knights made the experts’ draft list.

Let’s start with the most desired.

#32 – Jack Eichel

While the championship center is ranked the highest on the Golden Knights he’s far behind some of his contemporaries. Obviously, Connor McDavid is ranked first overall but fourteen other centers were ranked ahead of Eichel. It’s not a knock on the World Champion but a compliment to the structure of the Stanley Cup Golden Knights.

Eichel had his lowest average time on ice in his career last season, as Vegas likes to roll four lines in a balanced attack. Given that, and the fact Eichel has missed substantial time in all but two of his NHL seasons, it’s tough to count on him for more than 70 games and 70 points. –Michael Amato on Sportsnet.ca

#92 – Mark Stone

Let’s be fair, dozens of teams would select Stone before the 92nd pick but in fantasy sports, points are the only figure that matters. The Golden Knights captain can do a little bit of everything, and much better than anyone else. However, he isn’t a scoring winger like David Pastrnak, Matthew Tkachuk, or Mikko Rantanen. Not to mention Stone’s past injury absences will likely scare fantasy GMs from drafting him any higher. If picking pockets were a statistic in fantasy hockey then that’s a different story. In that case, Stone would be selected much higher than 92.

The only thing holding Stone back in fantasy is health. His numbers are always solid but he just misses so much time due to injuries, and the odds of that improving as he’s now 31 seem slim. Don’t reach too high for him. –Amato on Sportsnet.ca

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Call Me Crazy, But … (Jason’s 2023-24 Picks)

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Here we go, it’s Day 2 of making crazy predictions (here are Ken’s from yesterday). I truly believe a couple of my predictions will come true this season. Especially, the one about Jack Eichel squaring off against Connor McDavid.

Call me crazy, but Shea Theodore will pass his career high in goals in 2023-24.

There have been theories floating over the past several seasons that Alex Pietrangelo’s presence impacted Theodore’s growth. It’s an easy assumption, considering Theodore was the Golden Knights’ biggest threat in the 2020 postseason. The Original Misfit registered seven goals in the bubble and 12 assists to go along with his breakout performance. Months later Pietrangelo was acquired and appeared to slow Theodore down.

The 28-year-old flashed some skill in the Stanley Cup Final and there’s reason to believe it will carry over to October. After playing in Bruce Cassidy’s system for 76 games, Theodore is in a position to flourish offensively. Look for Theodore to top 15 or more goals this season. Maybe enough to earn a few Norris Trophy votes.

Call me crazy, but there will be a goalie controversy at some point during the season.

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Call Me Crazy, But… (Ken’s 2023-24 Picks)

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

It’s hot take time. Using our favorite format, we’ll be sharing some of our off-the-wall opinions on how we see the 2023-24 season going for the Golden Knights. At the end of each article, we’ll also share some of our favorites from the SinBin Discord. Ken’s first, Jason tomorrow.

Call me crazy, but Adin Hill will receive more Vezina votes than Linus Ullmark and Ilya Sorokin combined… and still not win the award.

It’s weird that it almost feels like expecting Adin Hill to be good is a hot take. After the insane run he went on in the postseason there’s an expectation of regression from most. However, I don’t have it, at least in the short term. I expect Hill to step right back into the goal and continue doing exactly what he did in his 16 playoff appearances. He’s a perfect fit to tend the VGK goal when the defense is clicking, which I expect it to be for most of the season.

Call me crazy, but VGK’s power play will finish in the Top 10 in the NHL this season.

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Replacing Reilly Smith On The Penalty Kill

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

The #PowerKill is no more. With the departure of Reilly Smith, the Golden Knights have a fairly sizeable hole to fill on their penalty kill. Not only must Vegas find a suitable partner to skate with William Karlsson, but they are replacing nearly 15% of their overall forward power play time with the loss of Smith.

Last year, only seven forwards in the entire NHL skated more on the penalty kill in the postseason than Smith. Smith was on the ice for 36:51 shorthanded minutes in the playoffs and another 102:57 in the regular season. Only Chandler Stephenson and Karlsson played more than Smith.

Bruce Cassidy did not use many players on the penalty kill over the course of the season. Just seven players reached at least 25:00 of shorthanded time in the regular season and only six skated at least 20:00 in the playoffs.

Shorthanded Time On Ice (Regular Season)
Karlsson – 127:34
Stephenson – 114:03
Smith – 102:57
Roy – 80:01
Stone – 52:13
Howden – 40:36
Eichel – 26:10

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Conditions That Could Impact Vegas And Western Conference

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

This season the next projected superstar will be making his NHL debut in the same conference as the reigning champion Vegas Golden Knights. Number one overall pick Connor Bedard is expected to make an immediate impact for the Chicago Blackhawks, possibly realigning the Western Conference in 2023-24.

Sportsnet’s Divisional Changes of Impact

Atlantic: Bruins Lose Patrice Bergeron and Others to Retirement
Central: Connor Bedard’s Presence in Chicago
Metropolitan: Erik Karlsson Joins Crosby for Pittsburgh’s Last Dance
Pacific: LA Adds Pierre-Luc Dubois to Center-Stacked Lineup

Sportsnet explored four divisional offseason moves, including two that could affect the West’s eight postseason invites. Most believe it’s possible Bedard can get the Blackhawks closer to a playoff Wild Card position in 2023-24. While others have stated the best has yet to come from Dubois. There’s no question, Vegas is the team to beat but the West arguably got a little more competitive this summer.

As for the Golden Knights, there are several players or scenarios that could impact the 2023-24 season. Let’s examine three.

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Golden Knights In Need Of New Alternate Captain

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Reilly Smith served as an alternate in all 22 playoff games and each of the 78 regular season games he suited up last season. His time as an alternate dates back as far as the Golden Knights’ very first home game on October 10th, 2017 against Arizona (“and we beat the shit out of them”) and he’s worn the “A” more than 300 times while donning steel grey and gold.

But, with Smith set to wear a different shade of gold next season in Pittsburgh, Vegas will need a permanent replacement.

Last year, Alex Pietrangelo and Smith were the alternates for just about every game each participated in. Pietrangelo will likely continue to serve as an alternate as he plays into year four of his seven-year contract with the Golden Knights. The other spot is up for grabs.

There are a host of candidates who could potentially take over for Smith.

William Karlsson

Wild Bill leads the list because he served as the alternate to the alternates in the only game missed by Pietrangelo or Smith in the postseason. Game 5 against the Edmonton Oilers saw Pietrangelo sidelined serving his one-game suspension for slashing Leon Draisaitl. Wearing the “A,” Karlsson posted a sweet assist to Smith for the go-ahead goal in the 2nd period and led the team with 24 shifts on that night.

As an original Misfit, Karlsson makes perfect sense to take over for Smith. He’s played more than 500 games as a Golden Knight, rarely missing a game, and is a perfect example of how Cassidy likes his forwards to play. Plus, after the “You Guys Were Greater” speech, it’s hard to argue he’s not a natural leader.

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VGK’s Top 6 Stanley Cup Playoff Assists

(Photo Credit: @_jkarsh on Instagram)

Yesterday, we went through the Golden Knights Top 6 goals of the postseason, today it’s time to pick some apples. We took a different approach when selecting six elite playoff assists. Many were picked because of their pure beauty not their impact. Others were a blended mix of spotlight skill and the game situation. So, let’s start dishing.

6. Stephenson and Howden Assist Stone’s Second Goal of Game 2 vs. Winnipeg

After a disappointing Game 1 loss to open the postseason, Vegas’ captain knew he needed to steer the ship. Mark Stone did just that in Game 2 of the opening round vs. Winnipeg. In the final period, Stone assisted on Chandler Stephenson’s tiebreaker and wrapped the game up with two goals. Brett Howden started the rush from the defensive zone and flipped it over to Stephenson on the wing, who found Stone for a perfect tap-in down low. Each forward touched the puck and it resulted in a point for the home team. Even though it’s a different sport, coach Norman Dale would’ve been proud.

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