Golden Knights should remain competitive even with key players moving on

Vegas Golden Knights

Last season: 45-29-8, lost in seven games in first round of playoffs.

COACH: Bruce Cassidy (388-206-9-70 over 11 seasons with 3 teams, 1 Stanley Cup title)

SEASON OPENER: Oct. 9 vs. Colorado.

DEPARTURES: F Jonathan Marchessault, F Chandler Stephenson, F William Carrier.

ADDITIONS: F Victor Olofsson, F Tanner Pearson, G Ilya Samsonov.

GOALIES: Adin Hill (35-19-12-2, 2.71 GAA, 0.909 save percentage) and Samsonov (40-23-7-8, 3.13 GAA, 0.890).

BETMGM STANLEY CUP ODDS: 16-1.

What to expect

It's the season of change, with six players gone from last season's team, including five who were part of the 2023 Stanley Cup championship club. Marchessault, the heart and soul of the locker room, was the biggest name to depart, heading to the Nashville Predators. His team-leading 42 goals will be difficult to replace, but with players such as Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and William Karlsson back, the Golden Knights should remain at least a playoff contender. Whether Vegas is a true Cup contender might be a bit of a stretch, but probably no team would want to face an experienced and proven Knights team in an elimination game.

Strengths and weaknesses

The good: Vegas is deep on defense, and Cassidy's style of forcing the action to the boards should combine with blue-liners such as Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin to keep the Golden Knights in almost every game. Shea Theodore is a terrific two-way player whose 37 assists tied for the team lead. Even with some key losses, the Golden Knights remain a dangerous offensive team in which the three top scorers after Marchessault return. If Tomas Hertl returns to his San Jose Sharks form, he would provide an enormous boost and take pressure off the other goal scorers. And when Hill is on in goal, he's as good as any in the NHL.

The not-so-good: It's difficult to imagine that losing players such as Marchessault and Stephenson won't have some sort of effect. Is there another 42-goal scorer on the roster? Probably not. Captain Mark Stone is a tough forward who on certain nights is able to carry the team, but whether he can stay healthy is a major concern. Stone missed significant time each of the past two seasons, and last year clearly wasn't back to full strength when he returned in time for the playoffs. Speaking of health, Hill hasn't shown he can be depended on to make it through an entire season. He probably wasn't close to 100% when he struggled down the stretch last season.

Player to watch

All eyes will be on Eichel with Marchessault gone and Stone's health almost always in question. Eichel has had his own injury issues and missed 19 games last season, but he was still just a point behind Marchessault with 68 points, totaling 31 goals and 37 assists. No other Knights player is quite the magician Eichel can often be with the puck, weaving through traffic to either take a quality shot on goal or make a precision pass to a teammate with an even better look. He has two years left on his contract, which pays $10 million per year, and so the nearly 28-year-old has plenty of incentive entering what should be his prime.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

The Associated Press