When they set out on the long journey of this NHL season which spans half the year, there were no expectations. This team was projected to be around the bottom as it was thought they would need to draft and develop to win at a high rate, and the thinking was that immediate success was not in the cards.
The group that came into camp was largely a misfit bunch on the surface. A couple notable names like James Neal and Marc-Andre Fleury lead the group from a talent standpoint, but even they are seen as fringe star players at this point. The rest of the team consisted of a mix of decent veterans, as well as young players that had not reached their potential. This group was expected to be the ultimate tank machine if we had ever seen one. The pure analytics and nature of this team didn't make it seem like they'd do anything more than gasp for air from the bottom every so often, and it was a believable thought too. The team on the ice, however, had other ideas.
Despite having no big star players, this team ended up blending well together quickly, and it wasn't one guy leading the charge solely either. All the guys on all four lines were contributing with regularity.
They ended up picking up some steam the first few months of the season, and the hype train was out of the station and rolling. Some people thought they'd fade, especially when Fleury got hurt and the backup Malcolm Subban followed suit shortly thereafter. That didn't stop them and they didn't fade. In fact, they hit a stretch in the middle of the year where they looked unbeatable. It was truly a sight to behold.
The hype for this team both in and away from Las Vegas hit peak levels by January and into February as the team was not just a legitimate playoff contender, but a division, President's trophy and Stanley Cup contender too. While they didn't win the President's trophy, they did win the division and are the technical 2 seed in the Western Conference and top 5 in all of hockey in points this year, so they are serious Stanley Cup contenders by definition.
This team did it by getting enormous contributions from unsung heroes. Guys like Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith and most of all William Karlsson crushed their career highs in many areas. They had to bring up a couple different goalies to fill in for injuries to Fleury and Subban, and those guys were outstanding given the circumstances. Fleury and Neal, despite being hurt for a chunk of time each, performed the way you'd come to expect.
The pieces came together and gelled into place better than anyone could have imagined, and Head Coach Gallant deserves a lot of credit for pushing all the right buttons with this team. It can't be easy to get all those different pieces from all different places to come together like that. I think each of these players had a chip on their shoulder after being exposed in the Expansion Draft though as they may have felt unwanted and made it a goal to prove everyone wrong. Well, many of them did just that.
The Vegas Golden Knights have shattered just about every record and expansion team can shatter, and they are now 16 wins away from being the first team to win a Stanley Cup in their inaugural season. That wouldn't just cause the NHL world to shake, but the sports world would be forever different if that happened. But to keep things in perspective, no matter what happens in the playoffs, the Vegas Golden Knights must remember that what they accomplished this season may never be done again by a first-year team. This is a special group that did special things and even if they don't hoist the Cup in June, it was still a very magical season for a group that wasn't expected to even be this close to hockey's greatest glory. Be proud, Golden Knights!
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