With the NHL season beginning in less than a week on Sept. 29, Jonathan Davis is rolling out his team previews over at VSiN.com. Here are his thoughts on the Vegas Golden Knights for the 2026-27 campaign:
Key Additions: Ryan Craig (head coach), Parker Wotherspoon, Victor Olofsson, Marc Gatcomb
Key Departures: John Tortorella (head coach), Bruce Cassidy (head coach), Pavel Dorofeyev, Akira Schmid, Cole Smith, Kaedan Korczak, Colton Sissons, Keegan Kolesar, Ben Hutton
Overview
For the third time in nine seasons, the Vegas Golden Knights earned a spot in the Stanley Cup Final before losing in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes. Their 76 playoff wins and 15 playoff series wins are more than any other team since entering the NHL in 2017-18.
The Golden Knights have never been shy of the spotlight and shocked many in the hockey world when they fired head coach Bruce Cassidy with just eight games left in the season and replaced him with John Tortorella. Vegas went 7-0-1 under Torts in the regular season and carried that momentum into the playoffs, knocking off the Utah Mammoth, Anaheim Ducks, and sweeping away the Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Colorado Avalanche, before falling to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Final.
Tortorella’s great run wasn’t enough to persuade the Knights to offer him a new contract, as the Knights felt it was time to promote Ryan Craig, who coached their top minor league team, the Henderson Silver Knights, for the past three seasons and previously served as an assistant coach with the Golden Knights.
Offense
The Golden Knights scored 264 goals last season, the 14th-best total and just four goals shy of 10th overall. Pavel Dorofeyev, who scored 37 goals and led the team on the power play (20), is gone to the Big Apple via free agency.
Replacing that offense won’t be easy. The Knights brought back Victor Olofsson, who had 15 goals (56 games) with Vegas in the 2024-25 season. Last season, with Colorado and Calgary, he scored 13 goals combined.
Brett Howden scored 14 goals in the postseason (22 games) and led the team after scoring just 12 goals in the regular season. Howden did score 23 goals in the 2024-25 season.
Defense
Shea Theodore took a big step forward last season, establishing himself as the Golden Knights’ No. 1 defenseman. If Vegas had won the Stanley Cup last season, Theodore would have had playoff MVP considerations.
Rasmus Andersson, acquired from Calgary, returns after signing a seven-year, $59.5 million deal in the summer. At 35, Brayden McNabb shows no signs of age. His 142 blocks (63 games) led the team, and he continues to thrive in a shutdown role as well as kill penalties.
Noah Hanifin, Jeremy Lauzon, and newcomer Parker Wotherspoon round out the blueline.
Goaltending
Adin Hill reportedly was not in shape coming into training camp last season, and it played a role in his worst statistical season (3.04 GAA, .871 save percentage). Hill eventually lost the starter’s crease to Carter Hart, who started five of the last six regular-season games and all 22 playoff games.
It should be a “healthy competition” between the two netminders for the number one job heading into training camp. It would not surprise me if we saw closer to a 50/50 split during the regular season before the team settles on a number one starter come playoff time.
Player to watch
A healthy William Karlsson is paramount to Vegas being a legitimate Cup contender. Karlsson had nine points in 15 playoff games, but when he suffered a broken left wrist early in game five of the Stanley Cup Final against the Hurricanes, the Golden Knights were never the same.
Karlsson not only centers the Knights’ second line, but he is also part of the second power play unit and top penalty killing unit.
Outlook
Vegas should again finish as one of the top three teams in the Pacific Division. Last season, 95 points was enough to win the “pillow fight” division in what was a crazy, odd year. Over the previous four seasons, Vegas has never had back-to-back seasons with fewer than 100 points. Their projected total for the upcoming season is 103.5 (-120), and I would lean toward the vver.
