(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)
Tonight, the Golden Knights will host the newly formed Utah Hockey Club for Vegas’ third game of the preseason. Through six periods there have been mostly positive signs in the first two televised scrimmages. Certainly enough for analysts across the league to declare the Golden Knights an expected playoff team. Why wouldn’t they? The 31st franchise has history on their side.
Since 2018, all eight Pacific Division teams have participated in at least one playoff series. Only the Golden Knights have missed the postseason once, while every other Pacific team was on the outside looking in two seasons or more. Los Angeles has seen the playoffs four times since 2018. Edmonton has been to five straight postseasons and likely on their way to a sixth. Meanwhile, Vegas has qualified 87.5% and are the only Pacific Division team to win the Stanley Cup since VGK’s inception.
Pacific Division Playoff Appearances Since 2018
- VGK – 6: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024
- EDM – 5: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
- LAK – 4: 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024
- CAL – 3: 2019, 2020, 2022
- VAN – 2: 2019, 2024
- SJ – 2: 2018, 2019
- SEA – 1: 2023
- ANA: 1: 2018
Considering Anaheim and San Jose are believed to be seasons away from challenging the division crown, that leaves three guaranteed playoff spots for five Pacific teams. Realistically, Vegas is in a better place to qualify for the postseason than Calgary and Seattle who both took a step backwards in 2023-24. Bottom line, the historical averages have VGK projected in a playoff position and battling for the division. Whereas the Flames and Kraken are projected to finish 17 points less than the Golden Knights this season.
Mark Stone: "I still like our team. Another year, another bunch of articles of writing the Golden Knights off."
— Danny Webster (@DannyWebster21) September 3, 2024
Late in the offseason, Vegas captain Mark Stone hinted to local reporter Danny Webster that he’s out to prove the doubters wrong this season. Many, including myself, couldn’t help but chuckle and look around the room for these so-called detractors. Thankfully, he’s not reading any articles coming out of Anaheim, Calgary, LA or Seattle.
Is someone writing fake articles and putting them up all over the Golden Knights dressing room about their going to be awful this year? I don’t know a single person who thinks the Golden Knights are bad. They’re going to be really good and everybody knows they’re going to bad. Not this again. I haven’t seen any article that thinks the Knights will be terrible. –Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts Podcast
Currently on the William Hill sports app, the Golden Knights have the 10th lowest odds (+2000) to win the 2024-25 Stanley Cup. Vegas is only behind Edmonton, Dallas, Colorado, and Nashville to win the Western Conference and second to wear the Pacific Division crown. According to the handicappers and bettors, the Golden Knights have a real shot at a second Stanley Cup trophy this season.
To go even deeper, expected data have Vegas projected in a playoff position and battling for the division. Most models have the Golden Knights landing somewhere between 97-100 points, which historically is enough to reach the postseason, even in the most competitive years.
Another element that should make VGK’s top winger happy is the average time it takes a Pacific team to clinch a playoff spot after missing the previous season. Anaheim has missed the last six and San Jose hasn’t played more than 82 games in five years. Calgary and Seattle could be on their way to a postseason drought themselves. Overall, it takes Pacific Division teams 3.3 seasons in between playoff appearances. Hopefully, that cools off Stone’s redemption for a bit.
Now it’s time to uncover the scores of Golden Knights pessimists that haven’t been found yet.
Emmanuel
Not necesarily.
You are assuming 4 Pacific teams get in.
There are always surprise teams that make the jump.
This team has the most question marks since year 1.
The older players are brittle.
The new wingers are projected for around 15 goals.
The goalies dont have a track record of endurance.
Its PROBABLE they get in but I can see a scenario they JUST miss out like 3 seasons ago.
Jose
Emmanuel, I would not be shocked if this group missed the playoffs because of all the question marks. It is not out of the realm of possibility.
In my opinion, I think they are actually going to have a very strong year. Because of the early playoff exit and the extra rest this summer, I think the team may be positioned to be both hungrier and healthier this year.
It’s extremely interesting because it’s really hard to handicap this year. I think they finish 2nd in the Pacific and have a long playoff run, reaching third round playoffs.
I’m curious as to what your prediction is this year. Like myself it seems that you think that anything is possible. What do you actually think will happen?
Alex
One and done AT BEST with one hit wonder overpaid Hill, the new Lehner …
knights fan in minny
look the 1 and done ass clown is back spewing the same old bull shit
hdbiker7851
I am not defending Alex in the least; in fact he adds little to nothing to this site other than getting under everyone’s skin – many who can’t help themselves but to respond to his BS. That said and something to think about – Vegas has a history of some poor decisions where goalies are concerned – I am sure all remember the “elite” propaganda the FO peddled when they acquired Lehner – the walrus that no other wanted to keep, and Vegas gave him a big contract. So, the one hit wonder statement isn’t as far-fetched as it might first appear.
ThG
wiggy basket wasn’t that bad HD, he did better than MAF; if you just look at his performance on the ice.
If off ice antics, again, were about on par as MAF. So can’t be cherry picking.
NAM
I am fine with Hill from a fan perspective, but he never should have been paid by VGK. All 5 goalies that played in the cup year did fine. Yet Hill, who played really well to finish off the cup, seemed to have convinced the front office he needed to be paid. I thought then what I think now, why the hell did you pay him? You could of had LB for 1.5 mil the next year and LT was a ridiculous ~750K already. Why spend ~5mil on Hill. With 3.5mil savings you could have kept Smith and kept the power duo with Karlsson. I don’t think this is a 20/20 hind sight situation. I think this is a McCrimmon fuck up we are still paying for.
TS
Nam, i think Hill’s agent jyst may have had a say in the big paycheck Hill now earns. Maybe that piece of hardware, the CUP gave Hill
and his agent a talking point in contract negotiations…..yes?
Emmanuel
Hdbiker, I actually agree with the FO.
Put the $ at C & D.
Save $ on Wingers & G.
Like you I do actually question the players they have acquired at W/G but I guess they have to get reclamation projects & high risk/reward with the $ they have left.
Jose
Emmanuel, as long as the front office gets more hits then misses on their trades, signings, etc. then the team will be fine. They have a good track record. Not all of Olofsson, Holtz, Pearson, Samsonov will work out.
Jose
What a stupid fan base. What’s wrong with Adin Hill. He won a cup. So if he doesn’t win another one, he’s a one hit wonder. Doesn’t that make virtually the entire league zero hit wonders. His save percentage was decent last year. Comments like this make VGK fans sound like amateurs. There is nothing wrong with Adin Hill. It’s possible he could have peaked by winning a cup, but that’s peaking by attaining the ultimate goal. People act like he’s falling off the face of the Earth. He was a .909 last year. So if you win a gold medal at sprinting at the Olympics, you are a one hit wonder? Geez!!!!
I hate to agree with ThG but he is right about Robin Lehner. He was good until his body fell apart. Can’t you people read numbers?
TS
Agreed on Hill. His play won us the CUP. How many G’s have THAT on their resumes?? So, he got hurt..can’t crucify a guy for getting hurt, yet fans are whining! Jeesh!
Now Lehner is another story…
Jose
TS, Lets hope Hill has a great healthy season
TS
Jose, fingers crossed. I feel Hill got hurt when he was overplayed…coach played him too many games, not enough rest,and he ended up hurt. Maybe coach will rest him more this season, so he’ll remain healthy. HOPE
.
Jose
I know why Alex is saying it. He probably doesn’t even believe it. And I hope he keeps saying it because it’s funny how Knights fan in minny loses his mind. It’s comical and entertaining to me so good job by Alex.
But I am talking about people that actually mean it. Hills a good goalie. His contract is not crippling in any sense whatsoever because of the term. It’s not like he was given a six-year term. His contract expires this year. He won the cup, was rewarded by an extension, all common sense here, but the extension is a short one so they can reevaluate. At the end of the season they reevaluate their options. Carl Lindbolm is in North America. Maybe he takes a big leap. We shall see. If you guys are gonna call it a one hit wonder then it is the greatest hit in the seven year franchise.
knights fan in minny
sounds like you love ass holes south of the border boy
knights fan in minny
fuck you Mexican
TS
Kfim, was that nasty post necessary?. Pretty much a racist trope
.why on earth wpuld ypu respond to Jose’s thoughtful HOCKEY post like that? Come on, DO BETTER.
knights fan in minny
what h said about m
NAM
Not sure who you are talking to since you didn’t reply to any one, but my comments above I still stand by. I like Hill and Hill is fine in this system, but so was every other goalie in the cup year. Logan was an all star, LB came in and killed it until he got hurt. Quick wasn’t the right style goalie for this system, but even he did ok. I don’t think Hill should have got paid and nothing I have seen since then has made me change my mind. I don’t think he got over-paid and his term is fine for a goalie that actually plays a full season. The dude played a personal record high this year of *35* games, up from his previous high of 27. That is not a lot, but regardless, term etc are fine. It’s the timing and the situation. We didn’t need to stretch for a goalie, cause everyone that has been plugged in has been fine. With only so much money to spend we chose Hill/Barb over Smith/Barb. It was obvious to me at the time that that was a bad choice and it still is proving to be. I hope Hill shoves these comments down my throat this season (i really do), but with this group of forwards and Hills inability to steal games when the team struggles I feel pretty safe from choking, at this time.
Jose
NAM, I respond to people who can speak English and put at least two or three legible sentences together. I responded to Emmanuel and now I am responding to you. There is nothing wrong with what you are saying. You think they should have signed Brissoit for less money then the 5 million they gave to Hill and used the savings to potentially keep Reilly Smith. I get it. My argument is to people that constantly shit on the front office.
As for Hill not being able to steal games I think that’s kind of harsh. Again, the fact is that in the playoffs, at the very most important time in franchise history, Adin Hill had the second best save percentage in a single playoff season in NHL history. That is simply a fact. He didn’t choke and give away the puck like Fleury did against Montreal. Brossoit had his shot and actually started the playoffs, but unfortunately got hurt against Edmonton.
We both want the same things and that’s for Hill to have a great year. My issue is with people that constantly shit on the front office and you are not one of them.
Jose
The track record of the front office has been great and I have spoken in the past on how they have this spooky ability to get rid of players at the right time. Maybe they do have a crystal ball. Lol. I hate to say this because I love all of the misfits, but Reilly Smith was trash last year in Pittsburgh.
TS
Correcto, mundo, Jose!! Mgmt did the right thing by only ‘extending’ his contract, even at the high cost, rather than over- extend him on
a LONG contract like Lehner’s where we’re STUCK with him.
Jose
On Logan Thompson, he chose to leave. Does anybody on this forum not know that? Seriously, does anybody not know that?
I like LT and wish him all the best in Washington. LT got lots of opportunities here and actually played more games than Adin Hill last year. He wants more and wants to be the clear consensus number one and he is confident and believes in himself. That’s life. Haven’t any of you felt unappreciated in your jobs at one time in your life and have had to leave the company you work for to try to prove yourself somewhere else. That’s what Logan did. I respect his decision. If he didn’t want to leave, he would still be here and we wouldn’t have that piece of crap Ilya Samsonov. Logan has got his work cut out for him in Waahington as well because Charlie Lindgren is a pretty good goalie.
knights fan in minny
what’s a matter taco cat got your Tongue
knights fan in minny
1 outing and ilya is crap stick to soccer tamale
TS
Jose, again, agree with you
.i was quite surprised that LT wanted to leave, but egos are pretty BIG in sports
.i guess being #2 is just not enough for some, even if they ARE just #2 material.
…
knights fan in minny
game on nhl network tonight
Jose
None of us have crystal balls and people from Vegas should know better than anyone and if we did, we would just gamble on sports and make a living doing that. We can’t predict outcomes to 100% efficiency.
if a front office is right about 60% of the time a team will keep moving forward. It’s crazy but it seems like the front office was right with about 95–100% efficiency in year 1. Absolutely ridiculous expansion draft, and trades that year. I feel that ever since then they have been right far more than 60% of the time which explains the incredible success that this franchise has had.
If they make a signing or a trade that doesn’t pan out the entire fan base starts to get their panties in a knot and I don’t understand that. And it comes from the same people that say that Eichel was a cancer and trading Nate Schmidt to make room for Pietrangelo was a mistake.
Getting rid of Fluery worked since they won the cup! How can that be disputed? That series of events eventually leads to Adin Hill, posting one of the best save percentages in a playoff year in history. Much better than when Fleury made that terrible mistake against the Montréal Canadiens.
Let’s simplify this. An expansion team who had never even played a game yet had the owner say that they were going to win the Stanley Cup in year six and they did and people are still complaining.
Read that last paragraph again and please explain why anybody should be complaining about the front office.
Oh but they didn’t sign David Perron and they got rid of Fluery
knights fan in minny
no come backs taco meat
Harper
As per copied and pasted on Jason’s article……
Pacific Division Playoff Appearances Since 2018
VGK – 6: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024
EDM – 5: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
LAK – 4: 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024
CAL – 3: 2019, 2020, 2022
VAN – 2: 2019, 2024
SJ – 2: 2018, 2019
SEA – 1: 2023
ANA: 1: 2018
What can anybody possibly be complaining about?
TS
Harper, we look DAMN GOOD on.paper!! Take THAT, VGK nay- sayers!! BOOM!!!!!!
Jose
I’m getting a bit passionate today and I guess it’s because we are getting close to hockey season. My comments are not made to offend anybody, but at least they are about hockey on a hockey site. We are blessed to have this front office. You got an owner of an expansion franchise that said his team will win the Stanley Cup in year six and they actually do it. How does it get better than that?
I am always happy to answer anyone with an opinion that could make an argument and if I am proven wrong I will own it and be happy to admit it.
I think Ilya Samsonov sucks. I want him to have a Vezina trophy year to prove me wrong just like NAM wants Adin Hill to have a great year.
My argument.
I spend about eight months of the year in Toronto and have watched Samsonov very closely. 95% of my relatives are Maple leafs fans. Suckers. Lol. He is extremely talented, drafted in the first round by Washington. He has mental issues, which is sad and unfortunate. I’m not saying he’s Lehner 2.0 but there are issues. Because of his talent, he can make spectacular saves and look great but he has that letting in one bad goal game thing. He is horrible in the playoffs. Found it curious that he is drafted in the first round by Washington, and then Washington just lets him go without even tendering him a contract. I found out why by watching him closely in Toronto. I want him to have a spectacular year so I can laugh at all of my friends and cousins in Toronto.
knights fan in minny
hill in the blue paint tonight