OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - What Happens In Vegas: A Golden Knights Story

dannibalcorpse · 04-05-2017, 12:17 AM

The midway point hit just before the New Year, and the Golden Knights will be heading into the second half of the season, and the beginning of 2019, with a disappointing 13-24-5 record. The team has shown some life as of late but the injury bug has bitten this team, and bitten hard. At the midway point, the team is missing Adam Henrique, Jason Dickinson, & Jordan Greenway - with Henrique the closest to a return in about 3 weeks. The team is currently bringing up the rear in the NHL, tied with the Boston Bruins for the least amount of points amongst the 32 teams.

The offense continues to be the main issue - their goals per game has crept up to an even 2, but this still leaves them well behind the other teams in the league. The team’s possession numbers have also been poor - they’re getting outshot an average of 35.62 to 25.5 shots per game. Special teams are falling right in line with this - the team has the second worst PK in the league (77.4%) and is tied for the 3rd worst power play in the league (13%).

The top line still paces the team in scoring - Ondrej Palat’s 14-15-29 leads the team in goals and total points, while Tyler Johnson’s 10-17-27 gives him the most assists and second-most points on the team. Jakob Silfverberg continues to show his scoring touch on the second line, with an 11-11-22 line through 42 games, and rumors have it he will shortly be displacing the disappointing Josh Ho-Sang on the top line. Ho-Sang has been nearly invisible this year - through 42 games played he has 3 goals and 5 assists despite averaging 17:38 of ice time per game. Craig Anderson has stepped up his play to an extent, and that has kept the Knights from completely falling apart. Despite his poor-looking 8-16-2 record, Anderson has rebounded from his early season issues to post a .914 SV% and a 3.09 GAA. Malcolm Subban has had a very up-and-down year, with his 5-8-3 record carrying a .899 SV% and 3.41 GAA.

Down on the farm, Lowell has been right in the middle of the pack in the AHL. The team is being led by RW Anthony Beauregard, who has 9 goals and 22 assists through 33 games. Lowell has been hurt by some lineup inconsistency, as players have ridden the shuttle back and forth all year due to the injuries. Some names to keep an eye on are Frankie Vatrano - he scored 11 goals in 23 games with Lowell, and has found the back of the net twice in 5 games since his call-up. Prospect Adam Ruzicka also earned an early call to the big time after a 6-9-15 line in 28 games in the AHL; the 6’5” center was brought up to replace some of the size lost when Jordan Greenway was hurt. Defenseman Ryan Pulock has shown some spark despite some injury problems in Lowell - he has 15 points in 15 games played and is pushing for a spot in Vegas. Offseason free agent signing Mason McDonald has been solid in net for Lowell, going 10-8-3 with a 2.27 GAA and .911 SV%. GM/Coach Dan Hampton has said he’s looking for a spark in his lineup, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see some of these names getting some play time in the NHL sooner than later.

The league has seen some big moves - the Devils and Capitals hooked up for a trade, with Dmitry Orlov & AHL goalie Matt Tomkins heading to the Devils, and veteran D Lasse Kukkonen and the rights to CIS player Brandon Baddock going to Washington. Seattle and Chicago swapped D Mark Giordano for young G Dominik Hrachovina, and lastly the Islanders shipped D Brandon Manning to the Caps for LW Vinnie Hinostroza, a man seemingly born to play in Brooklyn.

Filip Forsberg has continued his strong play, leading the league with 40 assists and 61 points; Jakub Stukel has slowed down after a huge start and is now 6th overall in goals, with Jack Eichel leading the way with 27. Corey Crawford finds himself in a familiar position, tied with Mikko Koskinen for the league lead in wins (27), while Mike Condon paces all goalies with a .929 SV%. And, most surprisingly of all, Cam Ward is still leading the league with a sub-2 goals against average (1.90).

With the calendar flipping, there’s still time for most teams to make a push for the playoffs. There’s a ton of familiar names rumored to be available for a rental, with the most surprising one being San Jose C Joe Thornton. Jumbo seems to finally have hit the wall in his age-39 season, playing 45 games and only having 3 points on the board. Noise is coming out of Pittsburgh that Carl Hagelin could be had for the right price, while Paul Stastny’s public feud with new Blues coach Steve Thomas has his name making the rounds.

04-05-2017, 12:17 AM	#20
dannibalcorpse Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 175	The midway point hit just before the New Year, and the Golden Knights will be heading into the second half of the season, and the beginning of 2019, with a disappointing 13-24-5 record. The team has shown some life as of late but the injury bug has bitten this team, and bitten hard. At the midway point, the team is missing Adam Henrique, Jason Dickinson, & Jordan Greenway - with Henrique the closest to a return in about 3 weeks. The team is currently bringing up the rear in the NHL, tied with the Boston Bruins for the least amount of points amongst the 32 teams. The offense continues to be the main issue - their goals per game has crept up to an even 2, but this still leaves them well behind the other teams in the league. The team’s possession numbers have also been poor - they’re getting outshot an average of 35.62 to 25.5 shots per game. Special teams are falling right in line with this - the team has the second worst PK in the league (77.4%) and is tied for the 3rd worst power play in the league (13%). The top line still paces the team in scoring - Ondrej Palat’s 14-15-29 leads the team in goals and total points, while Tyler Johnson’s 10-17-27 gives him the most assists and second-most points on the team. Jakob Silfverberg continues to show his scoring touch on the second line, with an 11-11-22 line through 42 games, and rumors have it he will shortly be displacing the disappointing Josh Ho-Sang on the top line. Ho-Sang has been nearly invisible this year - through 42 games played he has 3 goals and 5 assists despite averaging 17:38 of ice time per game. Craig Anderson has stepped up his play to an extent, and that has kept the Knights from completely falling apart. Despite his poor-looking 8-16-2 record, Anderson has rebounded from his early season issues to post a .914 SV% and a 3.09 GAA. Malcolm Subban has had a very up-and-down year, with his 5-8-3 record carrying a .899 SV% and 3.41 GAA. Down on the farm, Lowell has been right in the middle of the pack in the AHL. The team is being led by RW Anthony Beauregard, who has 9 goals and 22 assists through 33 games. Lowell has been hurt by some lineup inconsistency, as players have ridden the shuttle back and forth all year due to the injuries. Some names to keep an eye on are Frankie Vatrano - he scored 11 goals in 23 games with Lowell, and has found the back of the net twice in 5 games since his call-up. Prospect Adam Ruzicka also earned an early call to the big time after a 6-9-15 line in 28 games in the AHL; the 6’5” center was brought up to replace some of the size lost when Jordan Greenway was hurt. Defenseman Ryan Pulock has shown some spark despite some injury problems in Lowell - he has 15 points in 15 games played and is pushing for a spot in Vegas. Offseason free agent signing Mason McDonald has been solid in net for Lowell, going 10-8-3 with a 2.27 GAA and .911 SV%. GM/Coach Dan Hampton has said he’s looking for a spark in his lineup, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see some of these names getting some play time in the NHL sooner than later. The league has seen some big moves - the Devils and Capitals hooked up for a trade, with Dmitry Orlov & AHL goalie Matt Tomkins heading to the Devils, and veteran D Lasse Kukkonen and the rights to CIS player Brandon Baddock going to Washington. Seattle and Chicago swapped D Mark Giordano for young G Dominik Hrachovina, and lastly the Islanders shipped D Brandon Manning to the Caps for LW Vinnie Hinostroza, a man seemingly born to play in Brooklyn. Filip Forsberg has continued his strong play, leading the league with 40 assists and 61 points; Jakub Stukel has slowed down after a huge start and is now 6th overall in goals, with Jack Eichel leading the way with 27. Corey Crawford finds himself in a familiar position, tied with Mikko Koskinen for the league lead in wins (27), while Mike Condon paces all goalies with a .929 SV%. And, most surprisingly of all, Cam Ward is still leading the league with a sub-2 goals against average (1.90). With the calendar flipping, there’s still time for most teams to make a push for the playoffs. There’s a ton of familiar names rumored to be available for a rental, with the most surprising one being San Jose C Joe Thornton. Jumbo seems to finally have hit the wall in his age-39 season, playing 45 games and only having 3 points on the board. Noise is coming out of Pittsburgh that Carl Hagelin could be had for the right price, while Paul Stastny’s public feud with new Blues coach Steve Thomas has his name making the rounds.