Quick Work: How Golden Knights Won the Stanley Cup So Fast

In their sixth NHL season, the Golden Knights are STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS ⚔️🏆 pic.twitter.com/YiUPPCvCQD

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 14, 2023

Profiting Out of NHL’s Revised Expansion Draft

In 2017, Vegas quickly destroyed the notion that expansion teams had to stink. The Knights won 51 games and made the Stanley Cup Final in their first season. Vegas opened at nearly 200-1 win the Stanley Cup on the sportsbook. It’s thanks to some shrewd drafting and trading as well as being aided by the NHL’s new expansion draft rules.

The league made more players available for Vegas to draft. General manager George McPhee took full advantaget. The Knights acquired franchise cornerstones like Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, and Shea Theodore either through the draft or via trades.

Marchessault was coming off a 30-goal season with Florida. Theodore was a promising defenseman for Anaheim. And Karlsson showed potential in limited ice time with Columbus.

Vegas also acquired other veterans like Marc-Andre Fleury and James Neal to help turn it into an overnight contender. The Knights constantly made NHL news and became an enticing destination for star players.

Swinging on Big Trades and Signings

True to its host city, the Golden Knights’ GMs made big gambles when it came to managing the team. They were not shy trading or letting go of fan favorites or prospects to acquire star players. In 2019, the team traded for Senators forward Mark Stone. He would become the team’s captain.

In 2020, Vegas signed Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. And in 2021, the team traded for Sabres star Jack Eichel. The three played significant roles in Vegas’ Stanley Cup run. But to acquires these players, Vegas had to do some salary cap managing.

The Knights had to let go of key players like Fleury and Max Pacioretty. Fleury backstopped Vegas to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018 while Pacioretty was one of the team’s leading goalscorers.

These bold moves, sometimes labeled as brash, turned off some fans and analysts. But in the end, Vegas proved that risk takers get rewarded. The team kept beating the online sports betting odds and constantly won.

Golden Nights for Knights

And we can’t discuss Vegas without talking about some “luck.” Something about playing in Vegas made the team’s players thrive.

Marchessault was a capable scorer but he’s become the epitome of “clutch” in the playoffs. Karlsson showed flashed in Anaheim and Columbus. But few NHL predictions expected him to become a 40-goal scorer among other things. And Eichel, languishing in Buffalo, became a catalyst for the team’s offense.

Adin Hill also emerged as a Stanley Cup-winning goaltender for Vegas. The team traded for him in 2022 to be nothing more than a depth goaltender. It took injuries to three of Vegas’ netminders for Hill to step into action. And boy did Hill play like a Conn Smythe Trophy-worthy goalie.

Whatever it was, Vegas’ players played well above their status. Maybe it’s the “new team” energy in a flourishing city in the middle of the desert. Or maybe it’s having shared motivation in players having career renaissance.

Whatever it was, it led to a perfect recipe that pushed this team to its first of what could be many Stanley Cups.