vegas is enjoying unbelievable mojo this season.
this reminds me of colorado a few seasons back. if literally everyone on the team isn't having career seasons this team is pretty mediocre.
Couldn't it just also be that some guys are coming into their own as the players they were meant to be? I mean sure someone like Karlsson could be having the best year he'll ever have but someone like Marchesseault?
He always had offensive talent but he is absolutely the straw stirring the drink on his line with Rielly Smith not far off in that regard. Neal is doing what he always does and this is absolutely NOT a career year for him, Perron is playing with the same level of talent he always does but his effort level is far more consistent than it's ever been. Haula never really got the kind of opportunity he's getting in Vegas and sure his numbers will probably fall from where they are now but he is absolutely a legit 2c based on the way he plays. Tuch you can't bemoan career year because he's a rookie and honestly his numbers pale in comparison to the level of talent he already possesses...if anything he needs more finish in his game. Eakin is not having a career year by any stretch (he's hit 40+ points twice. This year he only has 26). Theodore scoring more points this year than his first two combined, yes, is a career year but he's an offensively talented defenseman. He was bound to hit 25 points in a season eventually. It was a matter of when, not if.
The only real outliers that are suspect are Miller and Schmidt sitting at 36 and 39 points respectively. Most of Schmidt's points are assists and I don't think it's all that absurd. He's been very good at moving and distributing the puck from the point. Same goes for Miller but he's found the back of the net twice as much, again not entirely unsurprising because he has the best point shot on the team. Both players were well regarded by their fanbases when they were drafted and they have expanded roles like never before. On an offensively potent Vegas team it's not unsurprising to see them carry high numbers
All that being said, my observation is the only thing that comes close to this team pulling the wool over everyone's eyes is not in their offensive abilities but their defensive play. Up until the all-star break the entire team as a unit was playing magnificent defense. They were modeling their defensive system after Nashville and even guys like Luca Sbisa looked good playing in that system. However, after the ASG break and the second wave of injuries hit the team, things have been out of sorts and that system has broken down to an extent. If Vegas struggles in any way this spring and beyond it's because Gallant couldn't find a way to fix that system.
