2017-18 record: 51-24-7 (109 points)
Lost to Washington in Stanley Cup Final
Captain: TBA
Everything that the Vegas Golden Knights weren't supposed to do as an expansion team, they did. They weren't supposed to even make the Finals, let alone be competitive. The Vegas Golden Knights' first year could be classified as a total success despite falling three games short of the Stanley Cup. Now, what do they do for an encore? Do they avoid a sophmore slump? The Golden Knights did what they could to make sure those answers are in their favor.
Offensively, they were fourth, thanks to some overachieving from the likes of William Karlsson and Reilly Smith. To expect Karlsson to break the 40 goal mark again would be unrealistic, but if he can score 30 like his teammate Jonathan Marchessault, then the Golden Knights will be fine. They get some help, as Paul Stastny signed with them in the off-season and they gave up a decent haul to rescue Max Pacioretty from Montreal. Defensively, this was a far better group than what the sum of the parts would indicate. They'll be missing Nate Schmidt for about 30 games for a failed drug test, but they will have Shea Theodore for seven more years, and he may be the best defender by the end of this season. Their eighth place finish defensively was a reflection of a coaching staff that got players to buy into what they were selling, which in turn allowed them to survive an injury bug that forced them down to their fourth and fifth goaltenders on the depth chart at one point. Once again, health will be key, as Marc-Andre Fleury and Malcolm Subban will be expected to hold down the fort in the paint.
Prediction: 2nd in the Pacific Division
To expect a little drop-off from the Golden Knights is reasonable. The reason they may finish second won't be because they didn't improve their own roster, but because the Sharks did the same and now boast a more complete lineup. As we've seen last season however, everything on paper isn't going to end up that way in real life.
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