This summer TSN has been deep-diving into each NHL roster. While we’ve expressed apprehension about the Golden Knights’ defense without Nic Hague and Alex Pietrangelo, TSN has confidence in VGK’s bottom blueliners.
With Alex Pietrangelo on long term reserve and unlikely to play this season, the workload will be increasing for the rest of the Golden Knights and I’m curious to see if depth defenceman Kardan Korczak is a player Bruce Cassidy leans on more. –Travis Yost on TSN.ca
TSN considers the Golden Knights’ defensive depth as second-tier. Beginning with Vegas, TSN’s Tier 2 consists of Buffalo, Florida, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington and Winnipeg. All teams with postseason aspirations, some with deep playoff plans.
Courtesy: TSN.com)
Vegas’ defense is blessed with two high-quality pairings. Veterans Noah Hanifin, Brayden McNabb, and Shea Theodore will firm up three of the top four defensive positions. That leaves Dylan Coghlan, Ben Hutton, Korczak, Jeremy Lauzon, Jacob Megna, and Zach Whitecloud to form the most effective bottom pair. Out of that group, coach Bruce Cassidy will need to find a combination he can trust on a nightly basis.
Before the season for each of the last two years, I’ve published an article with 50 predictions for the upcoming season. Some are fairly light while others get a bit bolder. I try to touch on as many different players on the roster and I’m always looking for events that are less than obvious.
In a perfect world, I’d hit them all, but realistically, 50% would be a fairly solid outcome. Let’s see how I did for 2024-25.
VGK will make the playoffs
Many doubted it, I never did. It was never in question.
Jack Eichel will lead the team in goals
Wasn’t even close actually (Dorofeyev 35, Hertl 32, Eichel 28). Not sure I’ll ever make that prediction again as long as he’s a Golden Knight.
Jack Eichel will lead the team in points
Easy. 94 points to Stone’s 67, and Eichel missed 5 games.
Jack Eichel will lead the team in shots
Pavel outshot him 254 to 233. Impressive for Dorofeyev, but everyone now says Eichel should shoot more, so I should have been right.
Mark Stone will score at least 20 goals
Oh come on! 19?!?
Victor Olofsson will be among VGK’s top 3 goal scorers
Dorofeyev was what I expected Olofsson to be. Victor finished 7th with 15.
Kaedan Korczak will play at least 60 games
VGK’s defense was healthier than expected. He got 40 but never took anyone’s job.
Shea Theodore will have more points than Noah Hanifin
57 to 39 and Theodore missed a ton of games.
Pavel Dorofeyev will play more games on a line without Mark Stone than with him
Dorofeyev only played 3 games with Stone. Before the season that was a highly likely projected duo, never came to be.
Ilya Samsonov will finish the year with a better goals against average than Adin Hill
2.47 to 2.82. Samsonov was not nearly as good in the easier games than I expected.
VGK will win at least 2 of their first 3 games
Won all 3. They always start quickly.
VGK will not be in a playoff position for at least one day after Thanksgiving
Not a single day all season were VGK out of the top 3 in the division, let alone a playoff spot.
VGK will have the worst Corsi For Percentage in team history (48.2%)
Still shocks me that they ended up being a decent Corsi team. Finished at 51.8%. Just the 5th best in team history, but no where close to the worst.
VGK will win 20 or more games when outshot
They were only outshot 21 times and they won 12 of them.
**Brayden McNabb took line rushes with the team in warmups prior to Game 3. He is expected to play despite what was said this morning.**
With Brayden McNabb likely sidelined in an essentially must-win Game 3 for the Golden Knights, head coach Bruce Cassidy and his trusted defensive assistant John Stevens had a tough decision to make in how they roll out their defensive pairs.
The first choice that had to be made was between Kaedan Korczak and Ben Hutton. Korczak is a much more similar player to McNabb in regards to size and style, but he plays with the opposite-handed stick. Korczak played in 40 regular season games this year and posted a +15 rating while Hutton appeared in just 11 with a 0 rating. Unsurprisingly, the choice was Korczak.
So then, someone had to be moved to the other side of the formation. For much of this season the Golden Knights have used Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, and Zach Whitecloud as their right-side defense. Theodore is the only one of the three who plays with a left-handed stick.
We kept as much consistency as possible. Just move Theodore over to the left to play with Pietrangelo. He started the year there, we tried that switch. So it’s not new to him but it’s been a while. -Cassidy
Typically, NHL defensemen are played on the same side as the curve of their stick. Right-handed players play on the right side, left-handed players on the left. But with Theodore, there’s been a preference to playing on his off-side because of the benefits in the offensive zone. A left-handed player playing on the right in the O-zone can be much more active with the puck at the blue line. Vegas often use a low-to-high style that sends pucks back up to Theodore and he’s afforded more options with his body facing the play rather than the boards if he were right-handed. It does offer some limitations, though, that Cassidy and Stevens certainly kept in mind.
He’s going to play the same amount of minutes. He should have the same skill set on either side. Obviously when you are on your off side and you’re an offensive guy there’s a little more of a one-timer threat. There’s also the offensive ability to be able to move a little, especially with his lateral movement, so we may lose a little from that. He’s still a threat to pop in from the left side. You know Theodore is more of a get it to the net than pound one-timers type of guy. -Cassidy
Theodore and Pietrangelo paired up for the first six games of the season, in which VGK won all three at home and lost all three on the road. In those six games, the Golden Knights allowed one more goal than they scored with the pair on the ice, they were outshot by nine, and they posted an expected goals share of just 41%. In short, it didn’t really work, and Cassidy broke it apart fairly quickly. He used the pair just one more time the rest of the season, a 5-2 loss to Washington. Pietrangelo and Theodore were much better, but the team was not.
So it’s just how comfortable will (Theodore) be over there or not? But you’ve got to make adjustments with who is healthy in your lineup so if that’s where he has to play then that’s what we’ll try first as opposed to moving a right stick over to the other side. -Cassidy
In the first road game of the series, without last change, and a hungry Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl after a lackluster Game 3 on the other side, loading up with Pietrangelo and Theodore together is a massive roll of the dice. Cassidy and Stevens are hoping the move doesn’t crap out.
When the Golden Knights return to the ice on Saturday from the 13-day international break, their defense corps will have a pretty sizeable hole. Shea Theodore’s injury at 4 Nations appears to be significant enough that he’ll miss a few weeks at least. Thus, the moment for Ben Hutton or Kaedan Korczak has arrived.
Ben and Kaedan have been unbelievable in terms of work ethic, attitude, taking practices as games, and trying to stay ready. They’ve both been tremendous. -John Stevens, VGK assistant coach
Stevens, who runs the Golden Knights defense, knows the two extra defensemen are on the roster for this exact reason.
We’ve carried eight defensemen all year. They are all ready to go and it’s kind of unfortunate as a coach because you have to tell two guys they can’t play every night. We have full confidence that those guys can step in and help us, much like they’ve done in the past. We’ve needed those guys in the playoff runs and they’ve stepped in and we didn’t miss a beat. We expect those guys to step into an opportunity they’ve been preparing for here and we expect them to play well. -Stevens, VGK assistant coach
The challenge now for VGK’s coaching staff will be finding the right combination with many more moving pieces. Theodore is not only a stalwart in the lineup, but he’s been locked next to the same D partner for nearly their entire Vegas careers. There have been brief detours from the norm, but for the most part, if Theodore and Brayden McNabb are available, they’re playing together, and thus one-third of the defense group is settled.
One game earlier this year Theodore was sidelined with an illness. Vegas went for the straight one-for-one swap, putting Korczak directly into Shea’s spot with McNabb. That’s likely what we’ll see on Saturday vs Vancouver.
But, because Hutton has proven to be capable during his time in Vegas, he’s an option that will inevitably get his shot at some point. With Hutton though, it’s not as simple as slotting him into that same spot. It’s been done before, but both Hutton and McNabb are preferred on the left-hand side.
That likely means Nic Hague would be the one to move back over to the right, which would take him away from Alex Pietrangelo. Hague started this season on the right-hand side of Noah Hanifin with mixed results. Hague switching sides leaves an opening next to Pietrangelo, which could go back to Hanifin, or, maybe McNabb gets a shot with Pietrangelo. And then where does this leave Zach Whitecloud?
This ripple effect is tricky and finding the right combination will be the key for VGK’s success moving forward. The options are all there, it’s just about picking the right one.
The NHL Trade Deadline is right around the corner. And with William Karlsson already on long-term injured reserve and reports about Shea Theodore’s 4 Nations injury indicating his timeline for return is in line with the postseason, it appears likely they’ll be financially open for business once again this season.
It’s impossible to predict exactly how much cap space they’ll have to operate with. However, their history has shown that if there’s a will, there’s a way, and that will be no different this season.
One difference this year will impact Vegas’ high-octane front office, the asset pool. After trading two 1st round picks, a 2nd round pick, a 1st round prospect, and a usable NHL defenseman at last year’s deadline, coupled with massive moves throughout the previous three or four seasons, the Golden Knights’ available pool of assets is limited.
Here’s what’s left, ranked in order of most to least trade value at this upcoming deadline.
Trevor Connelly 1st Round Pick – 2024
Connelly stands as one of just two 1st round picks (of 10 since 2017) left in the Golden Knights’ system. He’s an excellent prospect and has shined on the ice since arriving at Providence College. Connelly has fought through some injury troubles but when he’s healthy he looks every bit of a 19-year-old 1st round pick. He’s as good, if not better, than a 2025 or 2026 1st round pick based on what he’s shown since being selected #19.
There is one caveat with Connelly. One of the reasons he dropped to the mid/late 1st round was due to some off-ice issues in his past. Every day that passes and he proves to have grown from them makes them less and less important, but if he is offered up in a trade less than one year from selection it may raise red flags to other teams. It only takes one team to be willing to take the same risk the Golden Knights did, and that team is surely out there, but many passed on him in the draft, and they could easily pass via trade as well.
Nic Hague 2024-25: 45 GP, 3 G, 5 A Career: 341 GP, 18 G, 61 A Contract: Pending RFA w/ Arbitration at $2,294,150
Hague stands as the most valuable active NHL trade asset for many reasons. First, he’s one of the few players in the VGK lineup without a contract for next season. His RFA status keeps him under control for Vegas or any other team that would acquire him though. Second, the Golden Knights have backup options to place into the lineup if they were to part ways with him. Theodore’s injury limits that a bit, but Kaedan Korczak and Ben Hutton give the Golden Knights an abundance of defensemen, offering flexibility.
To some teams, Hague would be even more valuable than Connelly because he’s already proven at the NHL level. He’s a Stanley Cup champion who can step into any lineup instantly. It’ll all depend on the future outlook of the team involved in the trade.
The Golden Knights have stepped outside the box with their lineup decisions in the last two games. Both in Utah against the Hockey Club and in Vegas against the Capitals, VGK opted to dress seven defensemen instead of bringing up a 12th forward from Henderson.
Fielding a lineup with 11 forwards and seven defensemen is not all that uncommon in the NHL, what is unusual is asking one of those seven defensemen to step onto the 4th line and play forward for the entire 1st period.
On Friday in Salt Lake City, Kaedan Korczak played six shifts in the opening frame as a forward alongside Tanner Pearson and Cole Schwindt. Then last night, Ben Hutton took the reins, forcing Pearson to his off-side, playing four shifts as a forward before having to leave the game due to an injury.
A little bit on Friday was that it was the Father’s Trip so getting Korczak and Hutton both in was very important for us. We wanted to keep our guys involved. Sometimes it can work out for you, sometimes it doesn’t. It gives forwards more ice time. -Bruce Cassidy
In Cassidy’s 211 games behind the Vegas bench, Friday and Sunday were the 2nd and 3rd times he’s ever deployed a lineup with an extra defenseman. The only other time was a road game against the Colorado Avalanche in which VGK’s roster was without William Karlsson, William Carrier, Shea Theodore, and Ben Hutton, and Michael Amadio was ruled out late due to an illness. They had recently claimed Tobias Bjornfot off waivers, Whitecloud was returning to the ice after an injury, and Lukas Cormier had just been called up to replace Korczak.
That time felt like it happened out of necessity, there wasn’t a better option, so for one night they went with the unconventional lineup. It didn’t work, they got smoked 3-0, but without five regular starters and both goalies (Jiri Patera started), it’s hard to blame the extra defenseman. Also, all seven defensemen exclusively played as defensemen in that game, unlike these last two.
That’s what makes these last two games so peculiar. Playing as a defenseman, Korczak eventually assisted on the game-winning goal in the 3rd period in Utah, but his 1st period was an experience unlike any he’s had in his pro hockey career.
Every year the hope for each player is to put up a career year. The best teams in the league see many players outplay their contracts by posting statistical seasons better than they ever have before. For the Golden Knights, achieving career highs for many players will be challenging due to age and the successes many have had in their careers. However, that’s not to say there aren’t reachable categories for every guy on the roster.
Today and tomorrow we’ll go through every player on the team to look at which stats they have the best chance to set career highs in. We start with the defense and goalies.
Adin Hill Stat – Starts Career High – 35
For the second consecutive season, Hill will be anointed the clear starter with a strong backup behind him. The expectation is that he’ll receive at least 60% of the starts which should have him in line for around 50. Of course, the key to all of this is health. If Hill can stay healthy for the entire regular season, he’ll demolish every counting stat in the books.
Ilya Samsonov Stat – Quality Start Percentage Career High – 67.5%
The former Maple Leaf has played at least 40 games each of the last three seasons which will make all of the counting stats difficult. An injury to Hill could easily thrust him into the spotlight and see him start 50+ games, but that’s not the plan going in. So, defeating wins, saves, starts, shutouts, and anything else that requires a bunch of starts will be tough. The 67.5% quality start percentage is there for the taking though. Neither Hill nor Thompson have reached that number in either of the last two seasons, but with a limited number of starts playing behind a great defense, maybe Sansonov can do it.
Other options: Shutouts (4)
Noah Hanifin Stat – Points Career High – 48
The moment Hanifin stepped foot in Las Vegas he dominated for the Golden Knights. He scored two goals and had 10 assists in 19 games in the regular season and then upped his production in the playoffs with five points in seven games. It’s kind of surprising he’s never reached 50 points in his career, nor has he ever scored 15 goals. With the job as 1A defenseman on a stacked blue line, he has a chance to shatter all of his scoring numbers this season.
Other options – Goals (13), Power Play Points (13), Blocks (129)
