The Vegas Golden Knights expermient paid off in spades. Yes, I am bias living in Henderson. But I am from Canada originally. The boom of hockey here is mind boggling. There are waiting lists for youth hockey. They can't build ice rinks fast enough. The goal of expanding the interest in hockey has paid off. As for the city, the Kights are our own true pro sports team that is Battle Born.
I had a lot of fun taking the kids out to the Orleans arena to watch the Wranglers. I think you could get cheapie tickets for something like $9. But having the GKs going on 8 years now, with a cup in hand, has been something else
I feel a well-rounded team with good depth seems to be better than a team with a couple of stars... and the VGK seems like they genuinely like each other...
@@UncleBt Having played forward, it is indeed far easier; good hockey teams are usually built from the spine outward. Just look at the Team Canadas that won the last 3 real international tournaments ('10 Olympics, '14 Olympics, '16 World Cup of Hockey); like 8, 9 centers every time.
@@Ben.Mangels Very good yeah, but you didn’t trade for Hertl to be a 45 point C who’s not been very good besides on the pp. Howden has some of the worst underlyings but has been able to tuck pucks in, and Barbashev is one of the worst defensive players in the league, seems like he’s carried by Eichel. Eichel, Karlsson, and Roy are amazing tho. Hertl is probably gonna move to wing
@@bdwheeler3068 Howden is 4th in expected goals on the team. Barbashev isn't the Greatest defensively, but his Expected goals against isn't even last on the team. Hertl is playing on the wing more than at center, and he has the highest expected goals for on the team.
@@Ben.Mangels Howdens a 4th line winger(can play center) who has awful analytics that is shooting 20%. He feels like the opposite of what Vegas likes in their depth dudes. If you’re using moneypuck then I would switch to natural stat trick, way better website. Barbeshev feels like a 40 point 3rd line winger that can score 20 goals but it playing next to Eichel so produces more. Good player though
as a tampa guy, eventually VGK and TBL, PIT, BOS, will have to pay the nasty credit card rebuild bill lol. nobody is gonna avoid the rebuild tax in the NHL. but i love seeing VGK saying fu*k you to anybody who hates on them. and it's comical as a canadian seeing other canadian-based teams' fans getting their panties worked up in knots lol.
Floridas cup team had only three players on it that they drafted. In a few years we will be able to compare and contrast with Kyle Davidson's apparent plan to build a cup team with 100% players he drafted. He's got guts, he won't be able to blame anyone else if he fails.
@@carparthero I don’t think I agree. Dallas rebuilt, their entire core either drafting or signing free agents, and Boston has tinkered a lot over the years, maybe it’s just my ahl bias but the Bruins are almost always good.
Vegas is an epic example of ownership that understands a team that has a winning culture makes money and not only solidifies a fan base but also expands it outside of their market. From day one their owner emphasized winning and not using the excuse of being an expansion team for aack of success.
No mention of Coach Cassidy. I know your a fan of Cassidy and looks like the old man :) missed one of the most important pieces. Love the insight dive into the Knights!
I’ve seen a lot of people talk about hoping Vegas gets the president’s trophy so they’re cursed, as if defying odds and bucking traditions hasn’t been this team’s identity since day one.
Mate if they win the presidents trophy they’ll be cooked in the playoffs Vegas won’t be the exception. As a sharks fan I’m rooting for Vegas bc of Hertl but It’s just like the madden curse it’s inevitable
Looking back on Vegas hockey history, you will find that a bunch of former Wranglers, Thunder, and even the old Gamblers guys stayed - good jobs available for those inclined to keep working after hockey, and the real "bonus" NO STATE INCOME TAX.
as a tampa guy there's def a bit of parallels b/w them and VGK. both are cutthroat; VGK is just more overt about it. i love the attention they are getting in this video. prior to season start the concern THG felt (and i agreed) that they were weaker than in years past because mainly of their wingers. what's the beautiful thing is that with VGK, it's not IF they are gonna make a big move, it's WHEN. GM mccrimmon was going to do something whether VGK was good, dogshit or sideways. people can sh*t on VGK, but the bottom line is they are ruthless, they are willing to do whatever it takes to ice a competitive team. and that's gotta be something to be admired. VGK has absolutely ELITE pro scouting. they see who they want, and go after their guy like the FBI going after a fugitive. never thought they would be this good at this point in the season. good on VGK. would love to see VGK-EDM in a steel cage p-off battle to settle WHO is going to the SCF as the western representative.
@@somerandomguy8362 understandable. i hate this bullshit divisional p-off arrangement. p-off's were way better from '94-'13 when it was 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 , with re-seeding after each round.
@@Mr.Quinlan888 don't misunderstand, TBL escaped by the nape of their neck vs NYI. if anders lee was in service, i really believe he helps wipe out the bolts. VGK/MTL (i watched most of those games), the series literally changed when jeff petry came back in game 2 to stretch the MTL d-coverage. MTL had nothing to lose and played lights out in shutting down VGK. once MTL wiped out the knights, i believed at the time that the winner of TBL/NYI was going to win the cup. and in fairness MTL would have had a better chance vs NYI than they had vs TBL. but yah to your point, it would have been a great steel-cage match featuring the present at the time, and the future.
Crazy the rollercoaster of criticism the vegas golden knights have gone through. From being counted out their first season n making it to the finals. then came the belief that vgk was gifted an all star team. After that came the hate for trading their most beloved players and original misfits to the controversial coaching changes. Missing the playoffs, then winning the stanley cup n being called cheaters for taking advantage of LTIR. Now here they are after all these years still in the running n i feel like they're finally earning a bit of respect, even after being one of the most hated teams in the league at certain stages of their existence. Not to mention the hate vgk fans have received, we were told we didnt know hockey, that we didnt support our team and that we didnt deserve the success. Something i never saw the kraken or utah hc fans receive
I had a conversation recently with a buddy who said that Vegas is too young of a team to have an established culture but I think it been established since day one. They are always looked at as underdogs even when they are doing well and it’s next man up mentality. If you can’t produce they will find someone who will.
Underdogs? I mean Vegas got so lucky in there expansion to get to pick from so many good players. Look at what happens when the kraken and utah don't get such a chance. I think that's what pisses people off about them so much is they've been gifted a great franchise since day one. They haven't had to earn it the same as most other teams.
@@CastleBrookKrewstill salty 8 years later lmao. When Vegas picked their players, not a single one was considered "good". Karlsson had like 6 goals in his entire career before he was picked.
@tranvianoruega8756 just because you didn't retain a lot of players after eight years doesn't mean they didn't gain a lot of trade value. No other expansion team has had that handed to them and also what team looks the same after 8 years? Not many
@@CastleBrookKrew….do you even have a clue what you’re talking about? Utah wasn’t an expansion they actually were given a much better roster than Vegas had their first season. The Kraken had the same exact expansion rules as Vegas. You might want to rethink your bad take.
14:23 It’s so true. I hate how we just always take a nap in the second. Yeah, we pull magic out of our ass very consistently in the third, but it’s just not a long term winning formula.
Tanner Pearson is turning out to be an amazing signing. He's been all over the lineup, busts his ass every night and seems to have great chemistry with any line he gets put on. Kolesar has been killing it this year as well
Forward depth has been one of the places Vegas has killed everyone else since day 1 (because most front offices can't consistently identify that many NHL players early in their career that haven't yet blossomed and then develop them the way Vegas does) and not at all shockingly they're again possibly the best in the league there. Howden, Dorofeyev, Kolesar, Olofsson and Pearson averaging below $1.4M cap hit is insane value, I think 3 or 4 of them are all on pace for career high point/goal totals, some of which have already happened. Even Roy's one of the best forwards in the league with a cap hit at/below $3M; if he was from almost anywhere other than Canada he'd be on their Olympic Team.
say it again. Both for hockey operations AND business operations. Look how popular they are in a region that has about 1% of the populace who can skate, forget actually play hockey. If the the league had 10 more teams like Vegas the NHL would be relevant again.
The organization has done a lot for hockey growth as well. Youth hockey programs, Ryan Reaves even had some street hockey programs going. Ownership has done a tremendous job for us.
It's almost like GMs around the league have been overvaluing draft picks, and undervaluing the actual players on their roster. You mentioned the pro scouting in Vegas, and I think if other teams were as good at identifying the right role for a player, they wouldn't be so quick to move on from them.
Not only overvaluing draft picks (which have never played against NHL level competition) but undervaluing/not being able to evaluate the pool of current NHL players that haven't yet blossomed or started their career hot then regressed; Vegas has murdered the league there. Karlsson, Stephenson, all the way now to Kolesar, Howden, Dorofeyev, Oloffson, hell Pearson's at $775k cap hit.
Damn you Shannon. I just watched this tonight and at 8 minutes you say that the Islanders game could be a trap game. Now I know why we lost. The Oracle spoke and so it was. Lol. Love the content. Don't ever stop.
I'm tempted to be a Vegas fan. Well, not really, but I love the way they trigger the whiny fan bases of every other team that can't get it done. The fact that they're in a hot weather, non-traditional American market makes it better because it pushes every button of a particular type of fan--the type that's always looking for excuses why his team has gone decades without winning, and, in individual games, is always blaming the officials for his team's failures instead of admitting his team stinks and is run by idiots. Plus Mark Stone has been one of my favorite players since he was a rookie in Ottawa.
Mantha being made persona non grata overnight for his effort is a massive green flag, more teams need to be willing to pull the plug of a piece that doesn’t fit
I really do wish Mantha would have worked out. Great shot when he opted to use it. Great size and could skate pretty well. However he had too much hesitancy in his game and was soft in his checking game. For a guy his size it’s a huge shame he didn’t play the body well. Had all the makings of a great top 6.
When they had gotten him I was jumping up and down and thought he was a secret extremely good addition before even the Trade Deadline. Yeah so that didn't turn out. Getting scratched in that Dallas series that we needed his best hockey most but when Amadio came in it made them better automatically. Luckily Hertl and Hanifin are turning out pretty darn elite additions.
I love the Golden Knights! They're my second team after my Leafs, I even got to go to a game in October when I was visiting the city and it was awesome! A beautiful win over the Ducks with a great presentation before, during and after the game!
Your explanations and insights just get better, snappier and more humorous (Focus Groups! LOL!) as you continue to hone your craft Shannon. I absolutely love the deep dive videos into one team's situation, positive or negative. Thanks.
I love the Golden Knights Management they are very professional and they know what they want, that’s how a Franchise should be run and the community is very very supportive of this Team. I wouldn’t be surprised if they win an other Cup! GOOD JOB SO FAR THE LAST 8 YEARS AND MORE TO COME.👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I’ll give a reason. They have an owner willing to do whatever it takes to win. An extremely intelligent and talented front office / coaching staff. Sure we can be ruthless with the whole fleury situation and whatnot. But the team wants to and does win at any and all cost. Old head hockey fans don’t think it’s fair that they win right when they enter the league, but those teams don’t follow the new way of thinking that vgk does.
I don't understand why people keep mentioning the Fleury situation... People in Vegas knew he was gone after the season was over. It was already reported Fleury was told he was getting traded once they found a team. The reporter that broke the trade deal admitted it was Fleury's agent that told him the trade was happening, so its not like Fleury did not know it was happening.
I honestly don't understand why and how people were looking at this roster before the season started and said "I don't think they'll be very good". Let's just compare this roster to the one we won with. Stephenson (30) went to Kraken and bagged 6.25M$. His replacement is Tomas Hertl (Just turned 31) who's AAV is 6.75M$ against the cap. Hertl is a CLEAR upgrade for pretty much the same money. Reilly Smith(33) is in New York for 3.75M$ against their cap, his replacement is Scorofeyev(24) for 1.85M$, who keeps getting better every year, is on pace for 30 goals, and has fully replaced what Reilly Smith did for us next to Karlsson back in 2022-23. Alec Martinez (36) is making 4M$ in Chicago, his direct replacement is Noah Hanifin(27)... Don't think i need to elaborate this one. Olofsson(29) for 1 measly million already was a goal-scorer and PP specialist and we already knew he could score 20-30 goals if he gets to play with someone like Eichel and he's currently on pace for 29 goals in 61 games... Jonathan Marchessault is obviously the big loss but his goal production (still a small sample size i know) is pretty much replaced by Olofsson, who is 6 years younger and won't make 5+M till he's 38... The stars we already knew would be amazing, and it's happening right now seeing how Eichel, Stone, Theodore, Pietrangelo, Barbashev, Karlsson, Hertl, Hill & Hanifin are performing. The depth in Howden, Kolesar, Roy, Whitecloud, McNabb, Hague are still there and some of them are having career years already, halway into the season! So yeah no, it befuddles me how anyone looked at this team and thought "I wonder if they're gonna be good". There's plenty of pre-season power ranking articles out there who has Vegas as low as freaking FIFTEENTH. I just... I can't tell if they just hate Vegas or if they genuinely thought that this roster was a middle of the pack lineup...
It's pretty simple actually; almost no other front office can replenish without high draft picks for a sustained period of time because they can't evaluate and correctly identify young players who've been the victim of poor development, regressed due to "outside circumstance" vs regressed just because they're not actually that good, find role players like Pearson who can fit a role on their team and return positive value so many times in a row. Having watched hockey for 30+ years almost no one's been able to do it without tanking and getting high picks again but Vegas has thus far been able to.
The Hockey experts looked at the season 1 roster and said they would be lucky to win 20 games. When we made the finals it turned into gifted team, that they said would be garbage just months prior.
@@Mr.Quinlan888 Knowing what we know now, yes the Suzuki trade stings, but Patches gave us some pretty clutch moments. I agree with you on the Tatar trade, that was the worst move the front office made.
Lehner was a good trade, he was just unable to get past his demons. The Knights were going to miss the playoffs that year, and Lehner came in and started getting wins. The shortened season helped, but we won games that Fleury would have lost.
as a sharks fan i used to intensely dislike their entire organization, during the height of our rivalry. now i can’t help but be impressed, and i have to give props where they’re due. we haven’t seen a dominant organization like theirs for a long time, and to do it in a 32 team league thats more competitive than ever is kind of a sight to see, even as a little bit of a hater. i’m really hoping the sharks can get back into contention the next couple years and we can have some more classic playoff series!
Great analysis. Going into the season, we didn't know what to expect considering all the players we lost. Time and time again, we need to just learn TRUST our GM with all these changes. Hoping the season continues to get the dubs!!
People hate to hear it, but this is what happens when an organization values winning. Simple as that. You can call them ruthless, you can accuse them of cheating, but that's all it boils down to.
Since Day One (June 22, 2016) I have embraced this team (honestly I just wanted the experience of rooting for a first year team, then move on after the 17-18 season was over.) Big mistake, lol. It's the 2024-25 season & I'm a VGK ride or die. This franchise is a fever that you don't want a cure from. I love this Franchise. The professionalism, the logo, the uniforms, the energy of the fans at the Fortress, the pregames & intros. Everything is just fun, fresh & professionally done. But what stands out more than anything is the culture of undying dedication to excellence in every part of the entire organization. Reminds the Yankees fan in me of George Steinbrenner with the mindset of absolute greatness & excellence of the very highest calibur being the only acceptable standard. Go Knights Go!!! #VegasWorldwide
VGK not missing a beat while missing Roy and Barbashev is scary... really scary. I mean that really productive 3rd line becomes the 4th... and Holtz and Rjondberg are depth pieces.
Before the season I predicted that Vegas would have 1 more point than Washington. Halfway through the season, they're right on track. Vegas is indeed 1 point ahead of Washington. I only predicted 94 and 93 points for those two teams though. They're both on pace to blow past that.
Go Knights Go! Great analysis of this contending team. We are seeing another Stanley Cup win for this year, if they all keep healthy comes playoff. 👊🏽💪🏽⚔️
They are setting the model for teams going forward, ruthlessness, look how they handled Fleury, that was a dick move, but the Hawks got a free draft choice out of the deal, so it worked out for them.
Management and scouting for Vegas has just been ridiculous. I've been sad to see original misfits go, especially Flower... but the success they've had is hard to argue with
Ask any Detroit fan/Ken Holland how handing out "years of good service" contracts to players just that just manage to hang around long enough works out in the cap era.
VGK has a secret weapon and it's a middle to upper class master planned community called Summerlin. Their team facility is located there and every player as well as their owner and management team lives in Summerlin. They have a great shopping mall which helps with keeping the wives and girlfriends happy. Young rookie players stay at the Red Rock Casino which is located across the street from the team facility so they dont have to worry about meals and things like rent plus they don't have to clean after themselves. They just need to worry about playing. As Shannon said, many players that have been traded still keep their home here like Bellemare and Riley Smith or they downsize and sell their home for a good profit then buy a luxury condo like Schmidt there any team with everyone on the team living in the same community? I doubt it
Actually, virtually every player, including management of the Kings, live either in Manhattan or Hermosa Beach. But yeah, it's rare, and both have players they stay there after their time with the Kings.
We love our Knights even when we lose. The first season the entire city wanted VGK to have a parade through the city when we lost and VGK said we will only do that when we win the cup. Our front office makes choices we all think is the worst and then they show us they know exactly what they are doing. Another parade would be awesome! Thank you for the vid Shannon! Go Knights Go!
Aggressive forecheck seems to be pretty effective at forcing turnovers, especially when you make it difficult for the knights to exit the defensive zone. The Habs did it and came out with a win, and the islanders were also able to do it on Thursday causing that blowout loss. Knights need to find a way to get through that.
As a big GK fan from day 1, I have to give an enormous amount of credit to the 2 Mc boys along of course to coach Cassidy, the blue line and center are solid, the goal tending consistent, and the wings, for me a bit surprisingly, are deep
Honestly, having 1 or 2 players let alone 3 from the inaugural team in year 8 is almost unheard of with previous expansion teams since they were scraping the bottom of the barrel in their expansion drafts and there was no cap. Their inaugural rosters were full of aging or bottom tier players. Basically, they had to start building through the draft and hoping enough of their picks panned out, which VGK hasn't had to do. (HSK are looking horrible this season) They have done a great job of keeping the window open. I'll be interested to see if they can eventually lean on finding gems late in the draft when the time comes or if they can just keep replenishing their roster through trades and free agency
You're in rare company. lol But I can see the Oilers as being the next rivalry for VGK. The Sharks rivalry is dying as the have been basement dwellers for awhile now
you are a rare breed lol. most oilers fans don't take any outsiders criticism well at all, and think EDM is better than they really are. plus, they don't know much about other teams. pretty solipsistic. so good on you for rooting for EDM, PLUS having the open-mindedness to see and appreciate other teams doing well.
I just think the number of fans for each organization is vastly different. As said here earlier every franchise has those "fans" Vegas being no acception@carparthero
VGK operate on winning while most other teams focus on making a profit rather than winning. Winning brings profit though not being a bottom feeder like Buffalo.
When you make millions living in Vegas, life is good and arguably the most attractive place to live. They all want to play well to give management every reason to stay in Vegas and not be traded. I think that’s the heart of the reason. I can’t think of any player who left or got traded from Vegas who’s playing better.
That might be “a reason” but probably profit down the list. Look at the Raiders. They are a dumpster fire. It’s management and a well-run organization. It didn’t hurt that the NHL bent over backwards to make them competitive from year one, but we need to give credit where credit is due.
@@damonmusha6504 Actually, what you miss is the fact that when Foley said he'd write that 500 million dollar check, he told the owners he wanted special considerations for that money-which they all agreed to. So, to say it was the NHL, nah, it was more a smart businesman, seeing how other teams came into the league, who wasn't going to allow that to happen to him. You'll understand that if you know the circumstances of how other teams joined the league, particularly the 2nd 6, when they weren't even allowed draft picks their first year, and also how the original-6 teams loaded up their rosters with a bunch of slugs before the expansion draft, making virtually no talent available to the new franchises. If you know history, those horrible 2nd 6 teams is what led to the bloodbath the sport became in the 70's, when the flyers owner stated..."they may be us on the score board, but they're not also going to beat us up on the ice. That's when he instructed his GM to go get some goons, and they war was on.
Culture makes for organizational excellence....my Sabres are a prime example of the opposite....Terry Pegula is responsible for the losing in Buffalo....doesn't matter the GM, coach, or players.
At least you've got the Bills to be hopeful about. The Raiders and "Bowl-Cut Wonder Boy" Mark Davis has tanked his franchise for years. Thank God for the Knights.
It really is a hate us cause they ain’t us thing. I’m a very strong avalanche fan and I can’t help but marvel at the foresight and scouting Vegas has done.
Thanks THG for highlighting the VGK genius that it has been over the past 8 years!!! Looking forward to the annual LTIR outrage that will ensue in a couple months! 😂
Ok, now can we get a what's wrong with the Golden Knights video to lift the curse you placed on them? I was born / raised in New Orleans and I haven't seen gris- gris this effective. 🤣
Thank you! In the most simple terms, have the best management in the sport. It starts at the very top with ownership hiring people like Kelly McCrimmon who has proven to be the MVP of the entire NHL. In McCrimmon I trust!
I am relieved that we've been re-signing guys this year. I've been hoping we could finally shake off the "totally ruthless" label at some point but also who cares. I appreciate you mentioning that the team treats the players well! community totally rallies behind them as well
I've been a huge Tanner Pearson fan this season. He seems like he's an incredibly hard-working player that's been meshing great with the team. Holtz has been a bit of a letdown thus far, but maybe he'll still get a chance to shine before the season's out. I think a lot of us had concerns about scoring when we lost Marchessault, Stephenson, Carrier, and Amadio, but seeing Dorofeyev step up, Howden having a career year, and the Eichel/Stone combo playing incredibly well has put those concerns to rest. Keegan Kolesar has even been having a heck of a year, which is nice to see because he's such a stand-up guy. The team feels incredibly solid this year, to the point of making me wonder how we could even hope to improve at the trade deadline. I know the McManagers will cook something up and fans around the league will be tearing their hair out again come March. Thanks for the great breakdown!
Vegas has the privilege of having a very nice city to live in. It’s a lot easier for them to bring in / extend their ideal players than it is for a lot of other teams across the league.
Here we go. “Vegas is a nice city” OR “Vegas is the armpit of America” you never win with these people. Now if you’d have said… Nevada has no income tax and lower property taxes then you’d have a good argument. However I’d disagree that Las Vegas is a good place to live. Outside of devils balls hot summers the rest of the year the weather is great and it seems to always be sunny. However Las Vegas is no longer a good value proposition. It’s crept up into MCOL - HCOL and anywhere worth living in this Valley is so damn expensive you need at minimum two decent paying incomes to purchase a home. The schools have to be the absolute worst in the states and teachers make jack shit so they could care less as well. With all the transplants from HCOL areas moving in it’s not looking good for Vegas.
@@Navs126 Those casinos also get tax breaks right? So something has to give. You dont pay this way or that but some way you pay. Is not as if LV does not have its share of homelessness and poverty.
Oh never say a bad batch of games will *not* show up. All it takes is injuries showing up with 2-3 key players, and sometimes when that starts it seems like it won't stop. The injured reserve can't help them in the regular season. Not wishing anybody ill health, I may not like the G Knights, but doing so will catch up to you, yes even with people you don't know IRL such as athletes. But injuries are a part of the game and they've been very lucky on that front this year compared to a whole bunch of other teams, with only Doroyefev hurting them, the 2 others, even Roy, don't matter as much because of how solid their first 3 lines are despite his injury, a young guy stepped up and replaced him, which is always nice to see when it happens to the team you root for.
Are we just supposed to ignore that this entire video was just an excuse for you to wear that BEAUTIFUL VGK RR1.0 jersey? We get it, you have one, and it’s awesome, and we’re jealous.
As a Sharks fan despite my obligation to be a D1 Vegas hater I respect this team based on how crazy good they are and how they made hockey work in Nevada of all places. Hope Hertl and Wardo can go far with this team, at least until we start being competitive again
Love your comment! As a Sharts hater, I will admit I have enjoyed watching that team grow. They are young and learning how to win. A lot of those nail biter games they are losing this year, they will get half of those next year and in two years they will be getting those close wins. They´re a different team with Cellebrini on the ice. I look forward to hating San Jose again.
They have a winning mindset. They'll get rid of a mf in an instant and will somehow get better. There's no strings attached, they just want to win. They've changed the game in that way.
yOu CuRsEd Us!!! (had too Shannon :)) Think our scouting has been such a blessing, even on misses like some of our in season trades last year we still got Hanafin and Tertl. And for VGK haters, this is a real Vegas team not some failing owners flight for higher ticket prices. Their colors are thee colors of the Vegas desert. Locals love this team. Complain about the refs, thats a fans right, but don't pretend we aren't hockey fans, or that there isn't a real local love for the team.
The Vegas Golden Knights expermient paid off in spades. Yes, I am bias living in Henderson. But I am from Canada originally. The boom of hockey here is mind boggling. There are waiting lists for youth hockey. They can't build ice rinks fast enough. The goal of expanding the interest in hockey has paid off. As for the city, the Kights are our own true pro sports team that is Battle Born.
I miss watching the Wranglers play at Orleans Arena.
But this VGK team is a nice replacement.
😊
I had a lot of fun taking the kids out to the Orleans arena to watch the Wranglers. I think you could get cheapie tickets for something like $9. But having the GKs going on 8 years now, with a cup in hand, has been something else
@@InflatableConan you can get $13 seats fees included for Henderson Silver Knights pretty regularly if you sign up for the pogoseat text alerts
As a Las Vegas local, the golden knight's excellence is our karma for whatever the raiders do each year.
@@Scaraman1 Raiders? LoL
The raiders barely have any fans there tho
If you think your karma is good now just wait until you get the A’s. And people think the chiefs dynasty is outrageous 😂
Buddy the raiders were absolute garbage for 20 years before they ever moved to the desert I’m not buying that one
@@zenobiakdithers3150 just need a new owner and we'll have a chance
I feel a well-rounded team with good depth seems to be better than a team with a couple of stars... and the VGK seems like they genuinely like each other...
Vegas' center depth is insane. Eichel, Karlsson, Hertl, Roy, Howden, Schwindt Laczynski, and I believe Barbashev can all play center.
Seems like it's easier to make centers into wingers than vice versa at least that's VGK philosophy.
@@UncleBt Having played forward, it is indeed far easier; good hockey teams are usually built from the spine outward. Just look at the Team Canadas that won the last 3 real international tournaments ('10 Olympics, '14 Olympics, '16 World Cup of Hockey); like 8, 9 centers every time.
@@Ben.Mangels Very good yeah, but you didn’t trade for Hertl to be a 45 point C who’s not been very good besides on the pp. Howden has some of the worst underlyings but has been able to tuck pucks in, and Barbashev is one of the worst defensive players in the league, seems like he’s carried by Eichel.
Eichel, Karlsson, and Roy are amazing tho. Hertl is probably gonna move to wing
@@bdwheeler3068 Howden is 4th in expected goals on the team. Barbashev isn't the Greatest defensively, but his Expected goals against isn't even last on the team. Hertl is playing on the wing more than at center, and he has the highest expected goals for on the team.
@@Ben.Mangels Howdens a 4th line winger(can play center) who has awful analytics that is shooting 20%. He feels like the opposite of what Vegas likes in their depth dudes. If you’re using moneypuck then I would switch to natural stat trick, way better website. Barbeshev feels like a 40 point 3rd line winger that can score 20 goals but it playing next to Eichel so produces more. Good player though
It’s truly amazing how a well run professional scouting department can actually just remove the need to draft.
To be fair, drafting solid prospects is needed, to sell at the deadline
Florida and Tampa agree
as a tampa guy, eventually VGK and TBL, PIT, BOS, will have to pay the nasty credit card rebuild bill lol. nobody is gonna avoid the rebuild tax in the NHL.
but i love seeing VGK saying fu*k you to anybody who hates on them. and it's comical as a canadian seeing other canadian-based teams' fans getting their panties worked up in knots lol.
Floridas cup team had only three players on it that they drafted.
In a few years we will be able to compare and contrast with Kyle Davidson's apparent plan to build a cup team with 100% players he drafted.
He's got guts, he won't be able to blame anyone else if he fails.
@@carparthero I don’t think I agree.
Dallas rebuilt, their entire core either drafting or signing free agents, and Boston has tinkered a lot over the years, maybe it’s just my ahl bias but the Bruins are almost always good.
If my life was ran as well as the Vegas Golden Knights I’d have already reached heaven
Hell(pun), you'd be in charge.
I think their scouting department may be the best in the league.
Vegas is an epic example of ownership that understands a team that has a winning culture makes money and not only solidifies a fan base but also expands it outside of their market. From day one their owner emphasized winning and not using the excuse of being an expansion team for aack of success.
No mention of Coach Cassidy. I know your a fan of Cassidy and looks like the old man :) missed one of the most important pieces. Love the insight dive into the Knights!
I’ve seen a lot of people talk about hoping Vegas gets the president’s trophy so they’re cursed, as if defying odds and bucking traditions hasn’t been this team’s identity since day one.
Kind of funny how "Vegas" and "Defying odds" somehow align.. lol.
Mate if they win the presidents trophy they’ll be cooked in the playoffs Vegas won’t be the exception. As a sharks fan I’m rooting for Vegas bc of Hertl but It’s just like the madden curse it’s inevitable
Looking back on Vegas hockey history, you will find that a bunch of former Wranglers, Thunder, and even the old Gamblers guys stayed - good jobs available for those inclined to keep working after hockey, and the real "bonus" NO STATE INCOME TAX.
The McManagers. Its that simple
Don’t forget the Goat Bill Foley. Excellent owner
as a tampa guy there's def a bit of parallels b/w them and VGK. both are cutthroat; VGK is just more overt about it.
i love the attention they are getting in this video. prior to season start the concern THG felt (and i agreed) that they were weaker than in years past because mainly of their wingers.
what's the beautiful thing is that with VGK, it's not IF they are gonna make a big move, it's WHEN.
GM mccrimmon was going to do something whether VGK was good, dogshit or sideways.
people can sh*t on VGK, but the bottom line is they are ruthless, they are willing to do whatever it takes to ice a competitive team. and that's gotta be something to be admired.
VGK has absolutely ELITE pro scouting. they see who they want, and go after their guy like the FBI going after a fugitive.
never thought they would be this good at this point in the season. good on VGK.
would love to see VGK-EDM in a steel cage p-off battle to settle WHO is going to the SCF as the western representative.
problem is we and edmonton might kill each other in the 2nd round for whoever escapes the central
I feel the league lost out on that Stanley Cup Final match up against Tampa Bay. But Vegas sh*t the bed against Montreal in the Final Four.
@@somerandomguy8362 understandable. i hate this bullshit divisional p-off arrangement. p-off's were way better from '94-'13 when it was 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 , with re-seeding after each round.
@@Mr.Quinlan888 don't misunderstand, TBL escaped by the nape of their neck vs NYI. if anders lee was in service, i really believe he helps wipe out the bolts.
VGK/MTL (i watched most of those games), the series literally changed when jeff petry came back in game 2 to stretch the MTL d-coverage. MTL had nothing to lose and played lights out in shutting down VGK.
once MTL wiped out the knights, i believed at the time that the winner of TBL/NYI was going to win the cup. and in fairness MTL would have had a better chance vs NYI than they had vs TBL.
but yah to your point, it would have been a great steel-cage match featuring the present at the time, and the future.
Crazy the rollercoaster of criticism the vegas golden knights have gone through. From being counted out their first season n making it to the finals. then came the belief that vgk was gifted an all star team. After that came the hate for trading their most beloved players and original misfits to the controversial coaching changes. Missing the playoffs, then winning the stanley cup n being called cheaters for taking advantage of LTIR. Now here they are after all these years still in the running n i feel like they're finally earning a bit of respect, even after being one of the most hated teams in the league at certain stages of their existence. Not to mention the hate vgk fans have received, we were told we didnt know hockey, that we didnt support our team and that we didnt deserve the success. Something i never saw the kraken or utah hc fans receive
Grow up kid
Its still gold team bad for other fans. We Knights fans are just use to it now.
@@yoholmes273 Jealous- poor thing.
I had a conversation recently with a buddy who said that Vegas is too young of a team to have an established culture but I think it been established since day one. They are always looked at as underdogs even when they are doing well and it’s next man up mentality. If you can’t produce they will find someone who will.
Underdogs? I mean Vegas got so lucky in there expansion to get to pick from so many good players. Look at what happens when the kraken and utah don't get such a chance. I think that's what pisses people off about them so much is they've been gifted a great franchise since day one. They haven't had to earn it the same as most other teams.
@@CastleBrookKrewstill salty 8 years later lmao. When Vegas picked their players, not a single one was considered "good". Karlsson had like 6 goals in his entire career before he was picked.
@tranvianoruega8756 just because you didn't retain a lot of players after eight years doesn't mean they didn't gain a lot of trade value. No other expansion team has had that handed to them and also what team looks the same after 8 years? Not many
@tranvianoruega8756 your delusional and very lucky to have the team you do
@@CastleBrookKrew….do you even have a clue what you’re talking about? Utah wasn’t an expansion they actually were given a much better roster than Vegas had their first season. The Kraken had the same exact expansion rules as Vegas. You might want to rethink your bad take.
14:23 It’s so true. I hate how we just always take a nap in the second. Yeah, we pull magic out of our ass very consistently in the third, but it’s just not a long term winning formula.
Can't have the trademark VGK Third Period Magic if you don't start slowly
Looks like they took a nap the entire game with the islanders 😮
Who's here after the 4-0 loss at home vs NYI? The Shannon curse is real
Me😂
You can't win them all
Bad loss but it’s not a huge deal, they will bounce back
@rezz836 yep you can't win them all. Anyways, it's a marathon and not a sprint.
Has any team gone 82-0? They lost, the end, move on. Rangers are here Friday night, let´s stop the streak at 1.
Tanner Pearson is turning out to be an amazing signing. He's been all over the lineup, busts his ass every night and seems to have great chemistry with any line he gets put on. Kolesar has been killing it this year as well
Kolesar has been the most improbable bonus. All of a sudden he can protect the puck, make plays, and finish a decent percentage of his chances.
@@kftc1980 Yeah I wasn't expecting it at all based on previous seasons but all of a sudden something clicked and he's cruising
Go till you can’t go any more, and he’s earning it
Forward depth has been one of the places Vegas has killed everyone else since day 1 (because most front offices can't consistently identify that many NHL players early in their career that haven't yet blossomed and then develop them the way Vegas does) and not at all shockingly they're again possibly the best in the league there. Howden, Dorofeyev, Kolesar, Olofsson and Pearson averaging below $1.4M cap hit is insane value, I think 3 or 4 of them are all on pace for career high point/goal totals, some of which have already happened. Even Roy's one of the best forwards in the league with a cap hit at/below $3M; if he was from almost anywhere other than Canada he'd be on their Olympic Team.
@@kftc1980 Yeah, it's like his hands aren't made out of stone all of a sudden.
I love The Vegas Golden Knights they made me love Las Vegas as a city with its teams and my second home outside new Brunswick Canada
prove it, name 16 accident attorneys
M. A. N. A. G. E. M. E. N. T. Vegas has ruthless and smart management. They will do and say anything to win. So, they do... win.
Exactly
say it again. Both for hockey operations AND business operations. Look how popular they are in a region that has about 1% of the populace who can skate, forget actually play hockey. If the the league had 10 more teams like Vegas the NHL would be relevant again.
The organization has done a lot for hockey growth as well. Youth hockey programs, Ryan Reaves even had some street hockey programs going. Ownership has done a tremendous job for us.
Yep, that's the name of the game. "WINNING"
@@reevohere street hockey there would be the way to go since thats waaaaaay more cost effective and practical to Vegas weather
It's almost like GMs around the league have been overvaluing draft picks, and undervaluing the actual players on their roster. You mentioned the pro scouting in Vegas, and I think if other teams were as good at identifying the right role for a player, they wouldn't be so quick to move on from them.
Not only overvaluing draft picks (which have never played against NHL level competition) but undervaluing/not being able to evaluate the pool of current NHL players that haven't yet blossomed or started their career hot then regressed; Vegas has murdered the league there. Karlsson, Stephenson, all the way now to Kolesar, Howden, Dorofeyev, Oloffson, hell Pearson's at $775k cap hit.
Agree with good mgmt and good talent evaluation
Damn you Shannon. I just watched this tonight and at 8 minutes you say that the Islanders game could be a trap game. Now I know why we lost. The Oracle spoke and so it was. Lol. Love the content. Don't ever stop.
@@nickm8940 haha I thought the same thing! GKG
I'm tempted to be a Vegas fan. Well, not really, but I love the way they trigger the whiny fan bases of every other team that can't get it done. The fact that they're in a hot weather, non-traditional American market makes it better because it pushes every button of a particular type of fan--the type that's always looking for excuses why his team has gone decades without winning, and, in individual games, is always blaming the officials for his team's failures instead of admitting his team stinks and is run by idiots. Plus Mark Stone has been one of my favorite players since he was a rookie in Ottawa.
Now there's an honest comment.
Mantha being made persona non grata overnight for his effort is a massive green flag, more teams need to be willing to pull the plug of a piece that doesn’t fit
I really do wish Mantha would have worked out. Great shot when he opted to use it. Great size and could skate pretty well. However he had too much hesitancy in his game and was soft in his checking game. For a guy his size it’s a huge shame he didn’t play the body well. Had all the makings of a great top 6.
When they had gotten him I was jumping up and down and thought he was a secret extremely good addition before even the Trade Deadline. Yeah so that didn't turn out. Getting scratched in that Dallas series that we needed his best hockey most but when Amadio came in it made them better automatically. Luckily Hertl and Hanifin are turning out pretty darn elite additions.
I love the Golden Knights! They're my second team after my Leafs, I even got to go to a game in October when I was visiting the city and it was awesome! A beautiful win over the Ducks with a great presentation before, during and after the game!
Your explanations and insights just get better, snappier and more humorous (Focus Groups! LOL!) as you continue to hone your craft Shannon. I absolutely love the deep dive videos into one team's situation, positive or negative. Thanks.
I love the Golden Knights Management they are very professional and they know what they want, that’s how a Franchise should be run and the community is very very supportive of this Team. I wouldn’t be surprised if they win an other Cup! GOOD JOB SO FAR THE LAST 8 YEARS AND MORE TO COME.👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I too am here to listen and discuss the Vegas Golden Knights and enjoy every second of it.
I’ll give a reason. They have an owner willing to do whatever it takes to win. An extremely intelligent and talented front office / coaching staff. Sure we can be ruthless with the whole fleury situation and whatnot. But the team wants to and does win at any and all cost.
Old head hockey fans don’t think it’s fair that they win right when they enter the league, but those teams don’t follow the new way of thinking that vgk does.
I don't understand why people keep mentioning the Fleury situation... People in Vegas knew he was gone after the season was over. It was already reported Fleury was told he was getting traded once they found a team. The reporter that broke the trade deal admitted it was Fleury's agent that told him the trade was happening, so its not like Fleury did not know it was happening.
Vegas d core is one of the best in the league
IMO, they ARE the best D core in the league.
And that is with Hanifin STRUGGLING. If he gets right, watch out.
Hanifin is the darkhorse right now.
THE best
I honestly don't understand why and how people were looking at this roster before the season started and said "I don't think they'll be very good". Let's just compare this roster to the one we won with.
Stephenson (30) went to Kraken and bagged 6.25M$. His replacement is Tomas Hertl (Just turned 31) who's AAV is 6.75M$ against the cap. Hertl is a CLEAR upgrade for pretty much the same money.
Reilly Smith(33) is in New York for 3.75M$ against their cap, his replacement is Scorofeyev(24) for 1.85M$, who keeps getting better every year, is on pace for 30 goals, and has fully replaced what Reilly Smith did for us next to Karlsson back in 2022-23.
Alec Martinez (36) is making 4M$ in Chicago, his direct replacement is Noah Hanifin(27)... Don't think i need to elaborate this one.
Olofsson(29) for 1 measly million already was a goal-scorer and PP specialist and we already knew he could score 20-30 goals if he gets to play with someone like Eichel and he's currently on pace for 29 goals in 61 games...
Jonathan Marchessault is obviously the big loss but his goal production (still a small sample size i know) is pretty much replaced by Olofsson, who is 6 years younger and won't make 5+M till he's 38...
The stars we already knew would be amazing, and it's happening right now seeing how Eichel, Stone, Theodore, Pietrangelo, Barbashev, Karlsson, Hertl, Hill & Hanifin are performing.
The depth in Howden, Kolesar, Roy, Whitecloud, McNabb, Hague are still there and some of them are having career years already, halway into the season!
So yeah no, it befuddles me how anyone looked at this team and thought "I wonder if they're gonna be good".
There's plenty of pre-season power ranking articles out there who has Vegas as low as freaking FIFTEENTH.
I just... I can't tell if they just hate Vegas or if they genuinely thought that this roster was a middle of the pack lineup...
It's pretty simple actually; almost no other front office can replenish without high draft picks for a sustained period of time because they can't evaluate and correctly identify young players who've been the victim of poor development, regressed due to "outside circumstance" vs regressed just because they're not actually that good, find role players like Pearson who can fit a role on their team and return positive value so many times in a row. Having watched hockey for 30+ years almost no one's been able to do it without tanking and getting high picks again but Vegas has thus far been able to.
The Hockey experts looked at the season 1 roster and said they would be lucky to win 20 games. When we made the finals it turned into gifted team, that they said would be garbage just months prior.
The more people hate the Golden Knights the more the people of Las Vegas love them. So, keep it up!
Lehner was their biggest mistake.
I would say trading for Tatar and giving up a 1st, 2nd and a 3rd is still the worst trade for McPhee/McCrimmon. Trading away Suzuki also stings.
@@Mr.Quinlan888 Knowing what we know now, yes the Suzuki trade stings, but Patches gave us some pretty clutch moments. I agree with you on the Tatar trade, that was the worst move the front office made.
Wrong.. Pete Deboer was their biggest mistake.
Lehner was a good trade, he was just unable to get past his demons. The Knights were going to miss the playoffs that year, and Lehner came in and started getting wins. The shortened season helped, but we won games that Fleury would have lost.
@@Mr.Quinlan888 20/20 comment. The trade was going to be either Suzuki or Glass. They gambled on Glass and he turned out to be made of glass.
as a sharks fan i used to intensely dislike their entire organization, during the height of our rivalry. now i can’t help but be impressed, and i have to give props where they’re due. we haven’t seen a dominant organization like theirs for a long time, and to do it in a 32 team league thats more competitive than ever is kind of a sight to see, even as a little bit of a hater. i’m really hoping the sharks can get back into contention the next couple years and we can have some more classic playoff series!
Great analysis. Going into the season, we didn't know what to expect considering all the players we lost.
Time and time again, we need to just learn TRUST our GM with all these changes.
Hoping the season continues to get the dubs!!
Grade A from ownership down. Success is a culture.
People hate to hear it, but this is what happens when an organization values winning. Simple as that. You can call them ruthless, you can accuse them of cheating, but that's all it boils down to.
I love how fans of poverty franchises hate vegas because they are fairly new and already have a cup & great success every year! CRY ABOUT IT!
Roy and Barbashev were both at practice today in regular full contact jerseys so they should be back soon
Great news!
Go Knights Go!! Thanks for the fun video, Shannon. Appreciate you!
And right on cue, VGK lay an egg tonight against the Islanders. Saturday will be a bounce back game, which is nice, because I’ll be in attendance!
Since Day One (June 22, 2016) I have embraced this team (honestly I just wanted the experience of rooting for a first year team, then move on after the 17-18 season was over.)
Big mistake, lol. It's the 2024-25 season & I'm a VGK ride or die.
This franchise is a fever that you don't want a cure from.
I love this Franchise. The professionalism, the logo, the uniforms, the energy of the fans at the Fortress, the pregames & intros.
Everything is just fun, fresh & professionally done.
But what stands out more than anything is the culture of undying dedication to excellence in every part of the entire organization.
Reminds the Yankees fan in me of George Steinbrenner with the mindset of absolute greatness & excellence of the very highest calibur being the only acceptable standard.
Go Knights Go!!!
#VegasWorldwide
VGK not missing a beat while missing Roy and Barbashev is scary... really scary. I mean that really productive 3rd line becomes the 4th... and Holtz and Rjondberg are depth pieces.
One other thing.. Pretty sure this is the first time the power play was top 10 in the league. ..this far in the season I mean.
Before the season I predicted that Vegas would have 1 more point than Washington. Halfway through the season, they're right on track. Vegas is indeed 1 point ahead of Washington. I only predicted 94 and 93 points for those two teams though. They're both on pace to blow past that.
Go Knights Go! Great analysis of this contending team. We are seeing another Stanley Cup win for this year, if they all keep healthy comes playoff. 👊🏽💪🏽⚔️
Vegas haters can keep crying
They are setting the model for teams going forward, ruthlessness, look how they handled Fleury, that was a dick move, but the Hawks got a free draft choice out of the deal, so it worked out for them.
Management and scouting for Vegas has just been ridiculous. I've been sad to see original misfits go, especially Flower... but the success they've had is hard to argue with
Ask any Detroit fan/Ken Holland how handing out "years of good service" contracts to players just that just manage to hang around long enough works out in the cap era.
VGK has a secret weapon and it's a middle to upper class master planned community called Summerlin. Their team facility is located there and every player as well as their owner and management team lives in Summerlin. They have a great shopping mall which helps with keeping the wives and girlfriends happy. Young rookie players stay at the Red Rock Casino which is located across the street from the team facility so they dont have to worry about meals and things like rent plus they don't have to clean after themselves. They just need to worry about playing.
As Shannon said, many players that have been traded still keep their home here like Bellemare and Riley Smith or they downsize and sell their home for a good profit then buy a luxury condo like Schmidt there any team with everyone on the team living in the same community? I doubt it
Actually, virtually every player, including management of the Kings, live either in Manhattan or Hermosa Beach. But yeah, it's rare, and both have players they stay there after their time with the Kings.
Vegas local. As also a longtime clipper fan I’m continually floored at how well ran this vgk team
Is.
We love our Knights even when we lose. The first season the entire city wanted VGK to have a parade through the city when we lost and VGK said we will only do that when we win the cup. Our front office makes choices we all think is the worst and then they show us they know exactly what they are doing. Another parade would be awesome! Thank you for the vid Shannon! Go Knights Go!
Aggressive forecheck seems to be pretty effective at forcing turnovers, especially when you make it difficult for the knights to exit the defensive zone. The Habs did it and came out with a win, and the islanders were also able to do it on Thursday causing that blowout loss. Knights need to find a way to get through that.
As a big GK fan from day 1, I have to give an enormous amount of credit to the 2 Mc boys along of course to coach Cassidy, the blue line and center are solid, the goal tending consistent, and the wings, for me a bit surprisingly, are deep
Here for the "Vegas was handed a team" comments as we sit here in the 8th year of their existence 😂😂😂
Has it been 8 years already!?
@UtatKolehmainen doesn't seem like it
Honestly, having 1 or 2 players let alone 3 from the inaugural team in year 8 is almost unheard of with previous expansion teams since they were scraping the bottom of the barrel in their expansion drafts and there was no cap. Their inaugural rosters were full of aging or bottom tier players. Basically, they had to start building through the draft and hoping enough of their picks panned out, which VGK hasn't had to do. (HSK are looking horrible this season) They have done a great job of keeping the window open.
I'll be interested to see if they can eventually lean on finding gems late in the draft when the time comes or if they can just keep replenishing their roster through trades and free agency
Its called Canadian players! they have a ton of Canadians. The Canucks cant figure that out
Annnnnnd you jinxed us, THG. 😅
Thanks for the video! Knights have been amazing from the start with no end in sight!
Was I the only person expecting a Gary call somewhere in this? 😅
More vegas, love it. I picked vegas pre season their first year.
I'm an Oilers fan who also really likes Vegas. It seems I'm the only one.
You're in rare company. lol But I can see the Oilers as being the next rivalry for VGK. The Sharks rivalry is dying as the have been basement dwellers for awhile now
Yes. You are the only one.
you are a rare breed lol. most oilers fans don't take any outsiders criticism well at all, and think EDM is better than they really are. plus, they don't know much about other teams. pretty solipsistic.
so good on you for rooting for EDM, PLUS having the open-mindedness to see and appreciate other teams doing well.
@@carparthero There is a certain subset of fans of any team who are like that. It's not exclusively an Oilers thing.
I just think the number of fans for each organization is vastly different. As said here earlier every franchise has those "fans" Vegas being no acception@carparthero
VGK operate on winning while most other teams focus on making a profit rather than winning. Winning brings profit though not being a bottom feeder like Buffalo.
When you make millions living in Vegas, life is good and arguably the most attractive place to live. They all want to play well to give management every reason to stay in Vegas and not be traded. I think that’s the heart of the reason. I can’t think of any player who left or got traded from Vegas who’s playing better.
That might be “a reason” but probably profit down the list. Look at the Raiders. They are a dumpster fire.
It’s management and a well-run organization. It didn’t hurt that the NHL bent over backwards to make them competitive from year one, but we need to give credit where credit is due.
@@damonmusha6504agreed
@@damonmusha6504 Actually, what you miss is the fact that when Foley said he'd write that 500 million dollar check, he told the owners he wanted special considerations for that money-which they all agreed to. So, to say it was the NHL, nah, it was more a smart businesman, seeing how other teams came into the league, who wasn't going to allow that to happen to him. You'll understand that if you know the circumstances of how other teams joined the league, particularly the 2nd 6, when they weren't even allowed draft picks their first year, and also how the original-6 teams loaded up their rosters with a bunch of slugs before the expansion draft, making virtually no talent available to the new franchises. If you know history, those horrible 2nd 6 teams is what led to the bloodbath the sport became in the 70's, when the flyers owner stated..."they may be us on the score board, but they're not also going to beat us up on the ice. That's when he instructed his GM to go get some goons, and they war was on.
Stone and Eichel are not the pair, it’s Barbie and Eichel that make that line!
It’s about winning. ❤️
I said Dorofeyev would have 25-30 goals this season. He's currently at 16 goals and my prediction is looking pretty good!
Culture makes for organizational excellence....my Sabres are a prime example of the opposite....Terry Pegula is responsible for the losing in Buffalo....doesn't matter the GM, coach, or players.
At least you've got the Bills to be hopeful about. The Raiders and "Bowl-Cut Wonder Boy" Mark Davis has tanked his franchise for years. Thank God for the Knights.
Shannon's facts about Vegas "the city" is completely accurate...
Lies. We're full.
He has visited often enough since 2017 that such facts very much should be accurate.
2nd comment: I feel like the Canucks would do so much better if they could have a good locker room and be on the same page!!!
It really is a hate us cause they ain’t us thing. I’m a very strong avalanche fan and I can’t help but marvel at the foresight and scouting Vegas has done.
Wow thanks Shannon for jinxing them now
How do the Rangers manage to always disappoint me for my entire life?
It's been a while, but, are you too young to remember '94 Cup win?
You jinxed them, Shannon!
Barbashev coming back also and he looks good
Thanks THG for highlighting the VGK genius that it has been over the past 8 years!!! Looking forward to the annual LTIR outrage that will ensue in a couple months! 😂
Red jersey fire
Ok, now can we get a what's wrong with the Golden Knights video to lift the curse you placed on them? I was born / raised in New Orleans and I haven't seen gris- gris this effective. 🤣
Thank you! In the most simple terms, have the best management in the sport. It starts at the very top with ownership hiring people like Kelly McCrimmon who has proven to be the MVP of the entire NHL. In McCrimmon I trust!
George Mcphee is a great executive, that's how. He made the Capitals contenders every year.
I am relieved that we've been re-signing guys this year. I've been hoping we could finally shake off the "totally ruthless" label at some point but also who cares. I appreciate you mentioning that the team treats the players well! community totally rallies behind them as well
After nearly 20 years of the NHL having the salary cap. It still surprises me the Cap isn't over the $100million mark. It should be.
I've been a huge Tanner Pearson fan this season. He seems like he's an incredibly hard-working player that's been meshing great with the team. Holtz has been a bit of a letdown thus far, but maybe he'll still get a chance to shine before the season's out. I think a lot of us had concerns about scoring when we lost Marchessault, Stephenson, Carrier, and Amadio, but seeing Dorofeyev step up, Howden having a career year, and the Eichel/Stone combo playing incredibly well has put those concerns to rest. Keegan Kolesar has even been having a heck of a year, which is nice to see because he's such a stand-up guy. The team feels incredibly solid this year, to the point of making me wonder how we could even hope to improve at the trade deadline. I know the McManagers will cook something up and fans around the league will be tearing their hair out again come March. Thanks for the great breakdown!
Vegas has the privilege of having a very nice city to live in. It’s a lot easier for them to bring in / extend their ideal players than it is for a lot of other teams across the league.
I think privilege is the wrong word. Well managed is the correct way to say it.
Personally I disagree Vegas is not a nice city
Nah, there are nicer cities. Without the Casinos what does LV have?
Here we go.
“Vegas is a nice city” OR “Vegas is the armpit of America” you never win with these people.
Now if you’d have said…
Nevada has no income tax and lower property taxes then you’d have a good argument.
However I’d disagree that Las Vegas is a good place to live. Outside of devils balls hot summers the rest of the year the weather is great and it seems to always be sunny. However Las Vegas is no longer a good value proposition. It’s crept up into MCOL - HCOL and anywhere worth living in this Valley is so damn expensive you need at minimum two decent paying incomes to purchase a home. The schools have to be the absolute worst in the states and teachers make jack shit so they could care less as well. With all the transplants from HCOL areas moving in it’s not looking good for Vegas.
@@Navs126 Those casinos also get tax breaks right? So something has to give. You dont pay this way or that but some way you pay. Is not as if LV does not have its share of homelessness and poverty.
Oh never say a bad batch of games will *not* show up. All it takes is injuries showing up with 2-3 key players, and sometimes when that starts it seems like it won't stop. The injured reserve can't help them in the regular season. Not wishing anybody ill health, I may not like the G Knights, but doing so will catch up to you, yes even with people you don't know IRL such as athletes. But injuries are a part of the game and they've been very lucky on that front this year compared to a whole bunch of other teams, with only Doroyefev hurting them, the 2 others, even Roy, don't matter as much because of how solid their first 3 lines are despite his injury, a young guy stepped up and replaced him, which is always nice to see when it happens to the team you root for.
Are we just supposed to ignore that this entire video was just an excuse for you to wear that BEAUTIFUL VGK RR1.0 jersey? We get it, you have one, and it’s awesome, and we’re jealous.
I have 4 sitting in our jersey closet.
Biggest mistake ever by the bruins letting Cassidy go
And we thank you.
The real question is why doesn't your team do it
Go Knights Go!!!
As a Sharks fan despite my obligation to be a D1 Vegas hater I respect this team based on how crazy good they are and how they made hockey work in Nevada of all places. Hope Hertl and Wardo can go far with this team, at least until we start being competitive again
Love your comment! As a Sharts hater, I will admit I have enjoyed watching that team grow. They are young and learning how to win. A lot of those nail biter games they are losing this year, they will get half of those next year and in two years they will be getting those close wins. They´re a different team with Cellebrini on the ice. I look forward to hating San Jose again.
What a jinx.
Let’s go VGK !!
4-0 Islanders. You just haaaaaaaaad to make a video. Way to go, Shannon. 😢 /s
They have a winning mindset. They'll get rid of a mf in an instant and will somehow get better. There's no strings attached, they just want to win. They've changed the game in that way.
And they haven’t “cheated the salary cap” as many fans would like to call it lol
Of course they have
How long until Stone gets injured again for the rest of the season?
@@whoshotashleybabbitt4924 oh you mean like how he WAS injured before because he’s had a lingering injury
@@johnq2068 nope not even close buddy try again
@@Something7348 Vegas and Tampa have both won cups by cheating the cap.
Why take a chance on rookies like Shane Wright, Slafkovsky when you can pay veterans?
As you know, a long term deal does not mean a player will stay for a long time.
Lucky to have depth at goaltender
The worst thing is nothing they traded turned out to be anything special, besides Suzuki
yOu CuRsEd Us!!! (had too Shannon :)) Think our scouting has been such a blessing, even on misses like some of our in season trades last year we still got Hanafin and Tertl.
And for VGK haters, this is a real Vegas team not some failing owners flight for higher ticket prices. Their colors are thee colors of the Vegas desert. Locals love this team. Complain about the refs, thats a fans right, but don't pretend we aren't hockey fans, or that there isn't a real local love for the team.
If that red jersey ever goes up again I’m buying one cause man are they sharp