There was a time, not all that long ago, when defenseman Ville Heinola was considered the future of the Winnipeg Jets. Selected with the 20th pick in the 1st round of the 2019 Draft, Heinola stepped right onto the Jets blue line on Opening Night in 2019. Playing in a 3rd pair role, Heinola skated 25 shifts for 18:24 and recorded his first career point, a secondary assist on a Blake Wheeler goal.
A few games later, Heinola scored for the first time in the NHL. As Wheeler took the puck around the back of the net, Heinola crept in from the blue line to rip a one-timer from the top of the circle. It squeaked through goalie Matt Murray. Four games into Winnipeg’s season, Heinola had posted three points, a goal, a +3 rating, and averaged nearly 21 minutes per night. The outlook was extremely bright for the 18-year-old Finn.
As is typically the case, the Golden Knights were at the center of many of the juiciest offseason blockbuster trade rumors. However, the dust has now settled, and none of them came to fruition. VGK moved out a few players for assets, made one hockey trade swapping defensemen, and signed a new crop of bottom-sixers to fill out the roster.
Even though the mega move didn’t come through, it doesn’t mean there’s nothing to learn from Vegas’ decisions to start this summer.
One of two things is true. Either the Golden Knights attempted to trade Adin Hill and couldn’t find the right match, or they think last year’s struggles were an injury-induced fluke and still have complete faith in him. No matter which one it is, they are obligated to say it’s the latter for as long as he remains on the roster, which appears he will to begin the 26-27 season.
As it stands, the pair of Carter Hart and Hill making a combined $8,250,000 against the cap is perfectly acceptable in the current landscape of NHL goaltending. Both guys have proven they can get the job done both in the regular season and the playoffs, and there’s strong reason to believe if the team in front of them is capable, they will continue to be as well. That being said, the backup making 3x what the starter makes isn’t normal and typically doesn’t persist.
So, it’ll be up to Hill and Hart to sort that out. Hill may claim his spot as the starter back, and then an interesting decision will loom on Hart. Or, Hart will continue icing Hill out of the starting job, and VGK will have no choice but to move on from their Stanley Cup champion goaltender… something they may already be attempting to do.
Couldn’t cut it in the playoffs, can’t cut it moving forward
Every player (aside from Hill, which could give a hint as to which of the two options is really correct on him) that was taken out of the lineup at some point in the postseason has been sent packing this summer. Kaedan Korczak, Keegan Kolesar, Reilly Smith, Brandon Saad, and Ben Hutton were all healthy scratches at different points of the 22-game playoff run, and none of them will wear gold next season.
Usually, the head coach has players he prefers and others he doesn’t, and it doesn’t necessarily reflect the feelings of upper management. In VGK’s case, though, it seems more likely that those still in their jobs (including the assistant coaches) had more say than the temp in charge who appeared to be making the calls.
This also could be a bit of a hint as to what else might be coming around the corner. Tomas Hertl averaged 13:35 per game in the postseason, the 10th most of all VGK forwards. Everyone below him, aside from Nic Dowd, who averaged five seconds less, is no longer with the organization. Hertl’s 28-team no-trade clause is probably making things difficult, but the writing is on the wall.
Left-hand dominant
It wasn’t long ago that the Golden Knights had an abundance of right-handed defensemen. Alex Pietrangelo, Zach Whitecloud, and Kaedan Korczak are all gone, which leaves VGK with only Rasmus Andersson and Dylan Coghlan, who play right-handed. Of course, Shea Theodore has spent a majority of his time in the NHL playing on the right side, but having six of eight left-shot defensemen could spell problems.
Swapping Korczak for Wotherspoon will limit Vegas’ flexibility in 26-27 and may be a strong indicator that Coghlan is expected to be the last regular in the lineup. However, one injury would force someone else to their off-side, which likely signals the Golden Knights will be active on waivers looking for another defenseman.
Working around the edges
Victor Olofsson is the name that jumps off the page for VGK fans as the most intriguing offseason acquisition so far, and he’ll probably end up being the most impactful. The Golden Knights did bring in a few others who could play roles in this season, though.
Marc Gatcomb is probably the most likely. He brings a similar play style to the now-departed Kolesar. Gatcomb has played just 88 NHL games over two seasons at the age of 26. He averages about four hits per game and is relentless on the forecheck. He’s really never shown much scoring touch, but he’ll certainly make his presence known and isn’t afraid to drop the mitts. Don’t be surprised if he’s in the opening night lineup.
The other is Ville Heinola. A former 1st-round pick taken three picks after VGK selected Peyton Krebs and 21 picks before Korczak, Heinola has had stints in the NHL in each of the last six seasons. He’s never played more than 18 games and has just one goal that came back in 2019. He looked like a promising prospect, averaging 18 minutes a night for an eight-game stretch before his 19th birthday. It hasn’t worked out since, and like many in his position, sometimes a change in scenery is all it takes. There’s going to be a battle for VGK’s 6th and 7th defenseman spots. Heinola probably won’t claim the starting role, but he could easily stick with the team out of camp.
