Could you build a Vegas like team without an expansion draft?

[Stealth JD]

Do you believe that the players who are all having career years are the norm or they just caught lightning in a bottle this year and/or are giving players better opportunities? I don't doubt that Vegas will be a playoff caliber team for at least a few seasons, but they won't be running like a sawblade through the league like they did this year.

I think certain guys are absolutely capable of reproducing their success (Haula, Marchessault, Smith, Schmidt) and guys that may have a bit of a fall-off (Perron, Neal, Fleury, Karlsson) will still contribute and see some of their production replaced by guys like Tuch, Carpenter & the prospects. Heck, their highest paid forward has been scratched most of these playoffs (Tatar), and almost certainly will be integrated into the roster next year. I don't worry about regression to the mean for the Knights players...i worry about maintaining that chemistry and minimizing the distractions that will come with being a Champion in the city of Las Vegas for the next calendar year.

Their style of play under Gallant is what is giving teams fits. It's going to be up to other teams to prove they can stop it, because right now, they're executing better than all of the other more talented clubs, and I don't see that being stopped very easily.

 

[Ranksu]

Didn't find right thread so lets throw IT here. I like IT while it was depressing video. Liked small details and whatta Monster team Blues faced at finals. (8th HAF)

 

[Brian39]

No idea how a team full of castoffs, no 1C or 1D and a goalie with a somewhat shaky history going by the fanbase of his old team can dominate their way to the SCF. I've been told for years the Blues will never contend without a 1C & 1D so WTF, this is such bs to watch all these other teams get awesome through the draft and luck, while the Blues stay the same or get worse through the same means. And now a year we don't even make the playoffs, we don't even get a hig mid draft pick because it was traded away for what amounted to nothing. It's maddening.

People keep saying that they don't have a 1C, but their top line center scored more goals than every NHL player except Ovechkin and Laine. He was also 25th in points this year. Maybe he can sustain that and maybe he can't. But there is no basis to say that they don't have a 1C right now. He scored 9 more goals this year than Toews' best season and 2 more points than Toews best season. 43 goals and 78 points is absolutely a 1C. For comparison, Toews has never scored more than 34 goals or 76 points. No one would be saying the Blues didn't have a 1C if our centers had been putting up 40+ goals and 75+ points. By the way, he has 13 points in 15 playoff games.

Additionally, Fleury is having the best goaltending performance I've ever seen in the playoffs and I don't mean that as hyperbole. At the moment, he has the highest SV% of any goalie to play more than 2 rounds in the playoffs. He is slightly higher than the mark Quick set during their 1st Cup run and he is doing it while facing about 7 shots per game more than Quick did. The Knights are allowing more shots per game than any team who wasn't eliminated in the 2nd round and are allowing .7 goals per game fewer than the next best team.

 

[bluesfanforlife1992]

Do you believe that the players who are all having career years are the norm or they just caught lightning in a bottle this year and/or are giving players better opportunities? I don't doubt that Vegas will be a playoff caliber team for at least a few seasons, but they won't be running like a sawblade through the league like they did this year.

I would say it is a mix of all 3. Take Karlsson. I doubt he ever shoots at the astronomical percentage almost 24%. That is crazy. Career year that I don't think will be replicated in the sense of the 24% shooting. He will come down to 25-30 goal range next year if he takes a few more shots and his percentage goes back to reality. I don't think Perron pushes 70 points like he did this year. I think he falls back to the norm of 45ish points.

With lightning in bottle and player better opportunities, I think Smith & Marchessault fall here. Both of them seem to have success with Gallant and coming over would be helpful to them. You also have players like Tuch, McNabb, and Schmidt that got somewhat pushed back in role and were ready for more time, but weren't getting it with previous team. Schmidt ice time average was all over the place for Washington. Past 3 season 13, 18, & 15. This season 22 with Vegas.

The next few season hinges on this off-season BIG TIME. Big raises are due to Karlsson & Miller. Other RFA are Theodore (could go long term with him or bridge deal). Then following off-season you have Tuch. They have to decide on the UFA of who to keep out of the players getting some nice raises like Perron Neal (not so much a raise but similar to what he was making).

Honestly I can see them being good next year or falling back to the 85ish points range if players like Karlsson have big setback compared to last season.

 

[LGB51]

People keep saying that they don't have a 1C, but their top line center scored more goals than every NHL player except Ovechkin and Laine. He was also 25th in points this year. Maybe he can sustain that and maybe he can't. But there is no basis to say that they don't have a 1C right now. He scored 9 more goals this year than Toews' best season and 2 more points than Toews best season. 43 goals and 78 points is absolutely a 1C. For comparison, Toews has never scored more than 34 goals or 76 points. No one would be saying the Blues didn't have a 1C if our centers had been putting up 40+ goals and 75+ points. By the way, he has 13 points in 15 playoff games.

Additionally, Fleury is having the best goaltending performance I've ever seen in the playoffs and I don't mean that as hyperbole. At the moment, he has the highest SV% of any goalie to play more than 2 rounds in the playoffs. He is slightly higher than the mark Quick set during their 1st Cup run and he is doing it while facing about 7 shots per game more than Quick did. The Knights are allowing more shots per game than any team who wasn't eliminated in the 2nd round and are allowing .7 goals per game fewer than the next best team.

1C's don't get left unprotected in expansion drafts.

 

[Brian39]

1C's don't get left unprotected in expansion drafts.

So is the argument 'they don't have good players because good players don't get exposed in expansion drafts, so it doesn't make sense how good the team is?' Hall of Fame goalies in their prime don't get exposed in expansion drafts, yet here we are with Fleury 4 wins away from being damn near a lock for the Hall of Fame. Is Fleury's .947 less valuable to the team because he was acquired via expansion draft? Do Karlsson's 43 goals count less because he was acquired in an expansion draft? Can we not call Schenn a top 6 C since top 6 Cs don't get traded for Jori Lehtera?

If your definition for what constitutes a 1C isn't based at all on actual play, then the statement 'you can't win a Cup without a 1C' is just meaningless.