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Fan Poll: Bringing Back a Former Golden Knight

March 19, 2021, 11:55 AM ET [5 Comments]
Jeff Paul
Vegas Golden Knights Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT


Players come and players go. Some fan favorites and some just so-so. In their short four-year history, the Vegas Golden Knights have had their fair share of roster turnover. Some players are missed more than others, by the fans and the organization alike.

In order to gauge the fan base, I hit the streets (Twitter) to see which player the VGK faithful want back in the grey and gold. Which “Golden Misfit” would it be? There are certainly plenty of options from that inaugural club.

Looking back on it, most of the inaugural club is gone. It’s hard to believe, but only nine players featured in the Golden Knights’ current starting lineup did so in October 2017. That does not include players like Cody Glass, Nic Hague, Zach Whitecloud, and Dylan Coghlan who have been promoted from the minors in that time.

Vadim Shipachyov was the KHL import who was supposed to be the team’s number one center. He struggled mightily and refused an AHL demotion before retiring back to Russia. Thankfully William Karlsson decided he wanted that role and the rest was history.

Two original top-six wingers were given the freedom to test Free Agency, despite being focal points of the team’s offense and leadership group. Both David Perron and James Neal left after one season, as they were deemed too old and/or too expensive, even though they both served as assistant captains. Perron took a modest four-year, $16 million deal to go back to St. Louis while Neal signed for five years and $28.750 mil in Calgary.

Neal has already been flipped to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for their overpriced veteran, Milan Lucic. The deal seems to have worked for both sides as Lucic has gotten the Flames to play tougher, while Neal found early success playing alongside the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Perron on the other hand has been magnificent for the Blues. Not only that, but he has also made a point of playing well against the team that reportedly neglected to offer him a deal to stay. Perron has 4 goals, 3 assists for 7 points in his 9 GP against Vegas. Not only could they use him, they’d like to not have to play against him.

On the same note of captains playing well against their former club, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare has had some big moments against his former club. Now with the Colorado Avalanche, Bellemare returned to Vegas by winning the opening faceoff and scoring on Marc-Andre Fleury on his very first shift back.

Bellemare was seen as a great leader, a very well-spoken and kind guy in the community, and was sorely missed. Again, he wouldn’t have take much financial commitment, but was on the wrong side of 30. He signed a two-year deal with the Avs for $1.8 million per. He’s been a great fit on their fourth line and PK.

Some other notable departures were Erik Haula, who was unceremoniously traded the day before his wedding. Cody Eakin was one of the cap casualty moves after the team brought in guys like Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty. Oscar Lindberg, Brendan Leipsic, and Brandon Pirri round out the forward group.

On the blue line, there’s a ton of fan-favorite departures. Nate Schmidt was a cap casualty this past offseason, while Deryk Engelland retired. Colin Miller was shipped away to Buffalo the year before and the always-smiling Brad Hunt is now in Minnesota. Others include Luca Sbisa, Jason Garrison, and Jon Merrill whose mullet and goal as a right winger really got the crowd going.

We aren’t going to look deep into Calvin Picard, but the swap for Malcolm Subban was early enough to consider Subban an OvGk. Of all the players, Subban probably had the toughest go of it in Vegas. Playing behind Fleury, who could do no wrong in the fans eyes, is not an ideal role for a young goalie looking to establish himself in the NHL. He’s much better off in Chicago this season.

The Results



Fans were polled to see which three former Golden Knights they wish were on the team today. Cap hits, their replacements, and other applicable data were excluded from this exercise. This was a simple poll to see who is wanted back on the team today, no strings attached.

Below are a few of my favorite responses. I decided to start off with the correct answer. Yes, there was a correct answer.











To be fair, Nick Suzuki was just drafted in 2017. Like Glass, he played Junior hockey that season and wasn’t an actual member of the misfits. I allowed his nominations simply because he is panning out to be a good NHL center and Tomas Tatar found his game in Montreal. They were both pieces in the Pacioretty trade.

The top two names were David Perron and Nate Schmidt. Perron has been a thorn in the side of the Golden Knights for a while and is now a division rival. Schmidt was the de facto No. 1 defenseman and a huge favorite for his over-the-top child-like personality. He’s the kind of guy you can’t stay mad at.

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USA Today


Perron had a good season in Vegas. He was mainly the second line left wing and played a big role on the Power Play and Penalty Kill. He recorded 16 goals and 50 assists for 66 points in 70 games. He added a goal and eight assists during their Stanley Cup run.

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USA Today


Perron had some good times in Vegas and ultimately they probably could have and should have kept him. The cap hit he holds is negligible for a competent top-six forward and his age hasn’t affected his performance. He currently has 11 goals and 18 assists, operating at a point per game pace. Captain Mark Stone is the only Golden Knight currently out-producing Perron’s 29 points.

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USA Today


He has had success against the Golden Knights, but one could say his biggest success came against the odds. It was a rough start to his first season back in St. Louis before that team fired a coach, demoted a goalie, and went on a miraculous Stanley Cup run. Perron had an Ovechkin-like celebratory run in Vegas following the win.

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USA Today


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USA Today


If required to narrow my return pick down to one player, it would be Perron. He’s a good leader, he is well-rounded, and he’s always produced. He’s a solid, consistent presence who could help any team. Bellemare is a close second for his demeanor, leadership, and for how much passion he puts into his grueling and often thankless job.

What did you think of the picks? Perron, Bellemare, Schmidt, Haula, the list goes on. One thing is certain, if the Golden Knights think they need to make a change, they do it. With this season’s trade deadline rapidly approaching, which player will be added to next year’s poll?

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