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Tag: Kirill Kaprizov

Friedman: “Eichel At A Number The Golden Knights Aren’t Willing To Go Yet”

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On September 24, 2025

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

So far, the biggest storylines across the league are the lingering unsigned extensions for several NHL superstars. The only unextended player Golden Knights fans are concerned with is their irreplaceable top line, Stanley Cup-winning center.

As for Eichel, I still think that at this point in time that Eichel re-signs in Vegas. He likes it there, he’s happy there but what we’re seeing is that the numbers are going up. –Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet’s Oilers Now

Vegas is in a situation most believed they wouldn’t be once free agency opened. After acquiring Mitch Marner, the front office made it clear that Eichel was their top priority. Unfortunately for The Creator’s wallet, the market changed, and so did his top player’s demands.

The fast-moving market was sparked by Kirill Kaprizov snubbing an eight-year offer from Minnesota. With that in mind, there’s little reason for Eichel to take an opening offer from Vegas.

Teams are trying to hold the line and players and agents are saying our percentage is going up. Everybody is waiting for someone to go first. I think Eichel right now is at a number the Golden Knights aren’t willing to go yet. –Friedman on Sportsnet’s Oilers Now

With the cap elevating in the near future, today’s market movers want to be fully compensated even if they’re free agents before the revenue bump. It has nothing to do with greed, as one foolish Torontonian spewed on air. Much to the dismay of NHL managers, traditional deals of term and team-friendly AAV have been turned down this summer.

Right now the Golden Knights and Eichel are trying to find that sweet spot. It’s probably a little bit higher than the Knights would like it to be. We have a situation right now all around the league that players and teams are battling over this new reality. –Friedman on Sportsnet’s Oilers Now

Other league analysts believe the Golden Knights and Eichel will come to an agreement before the October 8th regular season opener against Los Angeles. NHL insider Frank Seravalli suggested Eichel’s agent was the happiest negotiator in the league after Kaprizov turned down $16M per year in Minnesota. Seravalli also noted the Golden Knights have to be mindful of what they can honestly offer Eichel. Regardless, he expects a long-term extension to be signed in the upcoming two weeks.

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3 Tactical Areas Of Improvement Available For The Golden Knights

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On April 24, 2025

In Team Ops

Photo Credit: Ken Boehlke, SinBin.vegas

As the puck is set to drop in Minnesota, the Golden Knights will look to wash the sour taste of Game 2 out of their mouths and regain control of the series. To do so, nothing will be more important than cleaning up the turnover epidemic that led to a barrage of early goals for the Wild.

As we dig deeper, though, there are three other areas where Vegas can improve to take back home ice.

Exploit Minnesota’s Conservative Neutral Zone Defense

It’s hard to pull positives out of a game in which a team falls behind by four goals in less than 24 minutes, but one place that might show up as the series goes on is how Vegas attacked the Wild the rest of the way. Minnesota is, by nature, a conservative team; they push that even further when they get a lead. After the Golden Knights went behind, they got a good look at the Wild’s compact neutral zone setup and had many reps attempting to enter the zone against it.

Minnesota uses a 1-2-2 neutral zone setup, similar to what Vegas and about 70% of the NHL use. However, with the lead, the Wild’s two defensemen are instructed to stay as close to the center of the ice as possible while still gapping up against entries. That means there’s a lot more room to the outside for controlled entries. The reason Minnesota does this is because it limits the number of rush chances they allow. They’re fine with letting their opponent enter the zone with possession if it means there’s never a player breaking in on goal up the middle.

For the last 45 minutes of Game 2, VGK went up against this style of neutral zone defense, and they started to figure it out more and more as the game went on. The best example is on the Tomas Hertl goal. Hertl has the puck in the middle of the ice and is surrounded. As the defense collapses towards the center, instead of rushing towards the blue line looking to dump the puck in, Hertl hesitates and waits for Brandon Saad to gain speed on the outside. He hits him with a pass and the Golden Knights get a speedy, controlled entry that ultimately leads to a goal.

The longer the series goes on, the more opportunities Vegas will have to read and react to Minnesota’s conservative style. Just from the beginning of the 2nd period to the end of the 3rd, VGK improved entering the zone. Imagine what it might look like two or three games from now.

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Last Night’s Postseason Preview Missing Players But Same Expected Results

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On March 26, 2025

In Game Analysis

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Last night might’ve been a soft preview of Vegas’ opening round. If the postseason were to begin today, Vegas would be the Pacific Division champion and would host the second seed in the Western Conference. The Golden Knights’ latest victim would land in the seventh spot, setting up for a second seven-game series between the teams since 2021.

On Tuesday, both clubs were missing big names from their lineup. The Golden Knights were without scorching-hot Tomas Hertl and top defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. The Wild were without their best player, Kirill Kaprizov, and a pair of top two-way forwards, Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno. If these two teams were to meet in the opening round, the series would look much different than it did in VGK’s 5-1 victory in Minnesota.

We know what we’re up against. We gotta raise to that level. Everything can happen in the playoffs, but first we gotta worry about getting there first of all. -Mats Zuccarello, MIN forward

The latest updates suggest Kaprizov will likely be in the lineup if the Wild face the Golden Knights in the postseason. The 27-year-old averages 1.22 points per game over his career and was in the hunt for the Hart Trophy until he was injured after only 37 games. His presence immediately improves the Wild’s chances. Minnesota also expects top-six center Eriksson Ek to return for a playoff run. Both have been a handful for Vegas when they’re in the lineup.

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Mark Stone And Kirill Kaprizov Eerily Quiet Through Two Games

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On May 19, 2021

In Game Analysis

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Two games, zero goals, and just one point which came in the final minute of Game 2 on a secondary assist. Those are the combined series numbers of superstars Mark Stone and Kirill Kaprizov.

Stone has been bottled up, almost looking frustrated on the ice, while Kaprizov has shown flashes of brilliance but for the most part has been kept to the outside and under heavy pressure.

Each has had one individual highlight moment, one in which Stone stickhandled through three Wild players drawing a penalty and nearly scoring, and the other where Kaprizov got in close and was robbed by a ridiculous save from Marc-Andre Fleury, but otherwise, the two main events in the series have been quiet.

Slowing down the two stars starts with defensive matchups. The Golden Knights have leaned heavily on Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb when Kaprizov is on the ice. More than half of the time Kaprizov has been out there, he’s skating into that pair. On the other side, the Wild have gone a bit more by committee against Stone. All six of their defensemen have shared the ice with Stone for at least eight minutes with Jared Spurgeon leading the way last night and Jonas Brodin taking the most minutes in Game 1.

As far as line matching, they’ve seen a lot of each other. Stone’s first line has skated against Kaprizov, Hartman, and Zuccarello for nine minutes in Game 1. That number decreased to just six in Game 2, with Stone seeing more of Joel Eriksson Ek.

Where each of the stars has started is important as well. Both Stone and Kaprizov have seen greater than 60% of their shifts start in the offensive zone. Both coaches are willing to abandon the matchup if it means an extra offensive zone start for their best player.

As the series shifts to Minnesota, the power to match lines and pairs now resides in Dean Evason’s hands, not Pete DeBoer’s. Does he look to find more favorable matchups for Kaprizov and Co. or is he comfortable with the fact that his best has been able to neutralize Vegas’?

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