They have strong center and defense cores so I’d say they are. At the wing is where I have some question marks but if a few young players step up and players like Holtz and Olofsson have a better year, then even then the wing may not be so bad. We could always end up trading down the road too.
particleman3
Contender yes, but not favorites. We have to hope the chemistry comes together
treasonodb
contender for the playoffs? yes. contender for the cup? probably not. not impossible but probably not.
Steve_Hunts96
My take is this:
Center depth is still loaded, defensive core is still the best in the NHL, and goaltending actually might be BETTER with Samsonov now in the tandem with Hill due to his high ceiling, and with Sean Burke as his goaltending coach, he’ll have no excuse to not play well this season. The wings are the one area of concern I have for this team, as with the departures of Marchessault, Stephenson, Amadio, Cotter, & Carrier, there’s a lot of unknown with the guys that are taking their places.
Dorofeyev is getting a full-time spot this year, rather than the option A to cover for an injury, and with what he’s shown when he has played, he’s looked very good, so he’s got potential to be a breakout player this upcoming season.
Holtz is a very interesting pickup due to being a top-10 draft choice 4 years ago, and has shown progression in his play in NJ, but for whatever reason they gave up on him after only 1 full season in their lineup (poor system fit?), and since Vegas got him & Akira Schmid for Paul Cotter & a draft pick, the trade kinda looks like a fleece by Vegas, and Holtz could have a very high ceiling playing with guys like Eichel, Stone, or Karlsson, depending on where he slots in the lineup.
Olofsson is an interesting add on the cheap that’s got past experience on the power play with Eichel, so old chemistry being rehashed here, and I wonder if this means he’s taking Marchessault’s place on the top line? Being that he’s a multi-time 20+ goal scorer coming off a bad season, he’s a perfect low-risk high reward player to have brought in, but he’s gonna have to return to his 20+ goal self if Vegas is to truly benefit from this signing.
Brisson’s time has come in Vegas, and he will be expected to become a bonafide goal-scorer at the NHL level. Wearing #19 comes with expectations, and he better be ready to wear that number proudly in Vegas, as well as represent what it means around here. Anything less than what Reilly Smith was here, and it’ll be disappointing.
With all of that being said, my lineup looks like this:
##Forwards:
Barbashev – Eichel – Olofsson
Dorofeyev – Hertl – Stone
Brisson – Karlsson – Holtz
Howden – Roy – Kolesar
##Defense:
Hanifin – Pietrangelo
McNabb – Theodore
Hague – Whitecloud
##Goaltending:
Hill/Samsonov
##Extras:
Defensemen Kaeden Korczak OR Ben Hutton
Forwards Zach Aston-Reese & Jonas Rhondbjerg
Everybody else will be in the AHL, however with this lineup listed, due to there being such a logjam with blue liners, I have a gut feeling a trade is coming involving 1-2 of them, and it’s gonna result in a major upgrade along the wing. Martin Nećas is the 1 guy I’ve really zeroed in on that I’d want, and I could see Vegas putting together a package for Nećas, but idk what else it would take to get him.
shadownet97
Defense needs to be better than last year. Addition of Hanifin in a full season under Cassidy’s system should be able to bolster that blue line effectively.
Not ideal but I’d like to see Hanifin and Theodore on the same line at one point but I know that wouldn’t work very well.
rollduptrips
Not as currently constructed imo. Need wingers
KeystoneHockey1776
Fk that traitor Marchessault for backstabbing us!
wcm3131
Hockey Guy has some very good takes. He’s always been a pretty good salve for me when many other peeps are thinking that the sky is falling. I think we have a good team still of course, but it won’t be without challenge.
LogieThePerogie
Contender but not a favourite
RocketsRedHair
Yes. Next question.
wayfarout
I’m living on hopes and prayers. We lost in the first round and we are an objectively worse team right now as it stands.
captnchunky
I like Shannon until he makes a vgk video then I’m reminded how he doesn’t really know what he is talking about and makes a ton of assumptions without full understanding.
SRSgoblin
The thing preventing us from having been 3 time cup champions is health down the stretch IMO. We have the talent, we have the coach, we have 4 lines worth rolling.
I know every team has a million injuries going into the playoffs but I feel that’s what has sank us 2 of the last 3 years. We missed the playoffs entirely one of those, and last year pissed away a commanding lead in the Pacific to barely get a wild card spot. Lost that playoff round because just nobody was at even 70%, let alone 100%.
I don’t know how you fix this problem because injury concerns compound rather than alleviate over time. Just gotta pray for luck, I guess. Bless all the knees, hallowed by thine ankles.
Edit: typos galore. New phone doesn’t seem to like how I type yet.
14 Comments
They have strong center and defense cores so I’d say they are. At the wing is where I have some question marks but if a few young players step up and players like Holtz and Olofsson have a better year, then even then the wing may not be so bad. We could always end up trading down the road too.
Contender yes, but not favorites. We have to hope the chemistry comes together
contender for the playoffs? yes. contender for the cup? probably not. not impossible but probably not.
My take is this:
Center depth is still loaded, defensive core is still the best in the NHL, and goaltending actually might be BETTER with Samsonov now in the tandem with Hill due to his high ceiling, and with Sean Burke as his goaltending coach, he’ll have no excuse to not play well this season. The wings are the one area of concern I have for this team, as with the departures of Marchessault, Stephenson, Amadio, Cotter, & Carrier, there’s a lot of unknown with the guys that are taking their places.
Dorofeyev is getting a full-time spot this year, rather than the option A to cover for an injury, and with what he’s shown when he has played, he’s looked very good, so he’s got potential to be a breakout player this upcoming season.
Holtz is a very interesting pickup due to being a top-10 draft choice 4 years ago, and has shown progression in his play in NJ, but for whatever reason they gave up on him after only 1 full season in their lineup (poor system fit?), and since Vegas got him & Akira Schmid for Paul Cotter & a draft pick, the trade kinda looks like a fleece by Vegas, and Holtz could have a very high ceiling playing with guys like Eichel, Stone, or Karlsson, depending on where he slots in the lineup.
Olofsson is an interesting add on the cheap that’s got past experience on the power play with Eichel, so old chemistry being rehashed here, and I wonder if this means he’s taking Marchessault’s place on the top line? Being that he’s a multi-time 20+ goal scorer coming off a bad season, he’s a perfect low-risk high reward player to have brought in, but he’s gonna have to return to his 20+ goal self if Vegas is to truly benefit from this signing.
Brisson’s time has come in Vegas, and he will be expected to become a bonafide goal-scorer at the NHL level. Wearing #19 comes with expectations, and he better be ready to wear that number proudly in Vegas, as well as represent what it means around here. Anything less than what Reilly Smith was here, and it’ll be disappointing.
With all of that being said, my lineup looks like this:
##Forwards:
Barbashev – Eichel – Olofsson
Dorofeyev – Hertl – Stone
Brisson – Karlsson – Holtz
Howden – Roy – Kolesar
##Defense:
Hanifin – Pietrangelo
McNabb – Theodore
Hague – Whitecloud
##Goaltending:
Hill/Samsonov
##Extras:
Defensemen Kaeden Korczak OR Ben Hutton
Forwards Zach Aston-Reese & Jonas Rhondbjerg
Everybody else will be in the AHL, however with this lineup listed, due to there being such a logjam with blue liners, I have a gut feeling a trade is coming involving 1-2 of them, and it’s gonna result in a major upgrade along the wing. Martin Nećas is the 1 guy I’ve really zeroed in on that I’d want, and I could see Vegas putting together a package for Nećas, but idk what else it would take to get him.
Defense needs to be better than last year. Addition of Hanifin in a full season under Cassidy’s system should be able to bolster that blue line effectively.
Not ideal but I’d like to see Hanifin and Theodore on the same line at one point but I know that wouldn’t work very well.
Not as currently constructed imo. Need wingers
Fk that traitor Marchessault for backstabbing us!
Hockey Guy has some very good takes. He’s always been a pretty good salve for me when many other peeps are thinking that the sky is falling. I think we have a good team still of course, but it won’t be without challenge.
Contender but not a favourite
Yes. Next question.
I’m living on hopes and prayers. We lost in the first round and we are an objectively worse team right now as it stands.
I like Shannon until he makes a vgk video then I’m reminded how he doesn’t really know what he is talking about and makes a ton of assumptions without full understanding.
The thing preventing us from having been 3 time cup champions is health down the stretch IMO. We have the talent, we have the coach, we have 4 lines worth rolling.
I know every team has a million injuries going into the playoffs but I feel that’s what has sank us 2 of the last 3 years. We missed the playoffs entirely one of those, and last year pissed away a commanding lead in the Pacific to barely get a wild card spot. Lost that playoff round because just nobody was at even 70%, let alone 100%.
I don’t know how you fix this problem because injury concerns compound rather than alleviate over time. Just gotta pray for luck, I guess. Bless all the knees, hallowed by thine ankles.
Edit: typos galore. New phone doesn’t seem to like how I type yet.
No