There are NHL teams who have been in the league for 50 years who haven't experienced the kinds of highs and lows as the Vegas Golden Knights. Their epic start, that may never be repeated in ANY league, was led Marc Andre Fleury and Gerrard Gallant. As an Tom Laidlaw said on yesterday's podcast.. "Given what Flower and Gallant did, they should have been give lifetime contracts."
That is how the best franchises generally work. They reward people who do extraordinary things. McPhee passed the torch to McCrimmon.... Gallant was moved out inexplicably and the new coach preferred to go and trade for another #1 goalie and passed the torch to the new goalie too quickly.. when Fleury showed some holes in the regular season. Robin Lehner deserves nothing but credit for his play. This isn't about him. They were unfair to him to the point where they had to move Fleury out... Its about a franchise that forgot everything they were and had.
They have quickly gone from a place EVERY NHL player wanted to play, to a team that players don't trust with their careers...because of how they have treated the people who have performed for them. They are the perfect example of why team's need to apply what matters long term to the short term. It matters.
It's not about the big moves...Its hard to argue with the pickups of Stone, Pietrangelo and Eichel. Three of the best players in the game...But the way they have treated their original soldiers and even guys like Stevenson and now Dadanov...a player who stepped up for them recently when NO ONE else was....McCrimmon is coming up so small. Continually making HUGE mistakes in their effort to cover up previously small mistakes..
Mark Stone is one of the top ten players in The NHL. The ONLY team that can possibly make the playoffs without a player at that level is Tampa. They aren't Tampa. If you can get Eichel, GET HIM...find a way that do so without benching Stone.. Ok...Mark Stone was hurting and needed a break. Maybe the surgery could have waited until the off-season, but I fully believe Stone would have been playing for Team Canada had The NHL players gone to the Olympics. So instead, the Knights thought they could make the playoffs without Stone....That now looks like it is almost impossible.
And despite everything...they aren't dead yet.. Their season start was strong enough that they still are a bubble team...Stone could probably return before the playoffs if they made space yesterday. He would likely put them into the playoffs..Realizing this, but waiting until the absolute last second...they tried to move Dadanov...I'm not the But they missed the details and now its quite possible Dadanov stays ...and they won't be able to bring Stone back in...and they won't make the playoffs.
This really goes back to the summer. At the time, I was told that moving Fleury was all about going for Eichel. But they didn't use Fleury's space for Eichel.. They had to fill other mistakes...
Yesterday, they had a chance to move Reilly Smith to the Rangers.. Smith will be a UFA and looking at the Knight's future is there ANY way they can sign him this summer given the Cap Hell they have created? Move Dadonov (properly) as well and you can bring back Martinez and Stone. That's a trade you could make....plus the Rangers (and Gallant) WOULD have given them a lot towards their future.
Every trade that gains cap space needs to be judged in the end not only by what you get as a return, but what the cap space enables you to get. ( I'm talking to you Flyers fans who think they got too little from Florida.)
Last night, Vegas played a terrible game against the Wild while Marc Andre Fleury watched from the Wild bench. Never have they ever looked more like an expansion team. The hockey gods can be cruel...
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