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We’ve reached the halfway point of the 2019-20 season, and Vegas coach Dan Hampton is doing everything he can to keep this season from tailspinning completely out of control. After a strong 9-8-3 start in their first 20 games, the Golden Knights have gone 4-13-4 since and now occupy the basement in the Western Conference.
As always seems to be the issue with the young franchise, offense has a lot to do with their struggles. After scoring 20 points in the first 20 games, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has only managed 6 points in the last 21. Defenseman T.J. Brodie leads the team with 30 points - his 26 assists also pace the club. Tyler Johnson leads the team with 14 goals - the only other players at the midway point with double-digit goals are Ondrej Palat (10-17-27) and Wayne Simmonds (10-11-21). Hampton has tried to shake up the lineups to generate more offense, pulling RNH up to the top line with Palat and Simmonds, while putting Tyler Johnson on as the second line RW with Ivan Barbashev (3-5-8) getting a shot to run as his center with Jordan Greenway(9-12-21) on the left wing. Jakob Silfverberg (7-13-20) has been playing with Marcus Kruger(2-8-10) and Jon Marchessault(7-8-15) on the 3rd line in an attempt to spread out what little offense the team has going for it. Puck possession has once again been an issue for the team, with no player having a positive shot differential per 60 minutes. With all those shots coming towards them, the goalies have struggled - Robin Lehner has a .911 SV% but has struggled to a 2.81 GAA and an 8-15-4 record. Malcolm Subban has struggled after his hot start - his record now stands at 5-6-3 with a 3.13 GAA and .907 SV%.
Looking into the prospect pool, Adam Ruzicka continues to excel for the AHL team in Lowell. After a brief 12-game cup of coffee last year, Ruzicka has come out of the gate with 17 goals and 19 assists in the first 34 games of the AHL season. Josh Ho-Sang has responded well to his demotion - he didn’t join the team until 9 games into the AHL season, but has put up a 7-25-32 line in 24 games. Ryan Pulock continues to push for a roster spot, potting 8 goals and dishing out 23 assists in 31 games played. Nando Eggenberger, getting his first taste of professional play, has responded nicely - a 12-14-26 line in his first 32 games. Sadly, the same can’t be said for 2018 first rounder Mikhail Bitsadze - he put up a 3-4-7 line in his first 27 games but a broken femur will keep him out of action for the rest of this season, putting a hold on his development. Both goalies in AHL are on fire - the highly regarded prospect Carter Hart has gone 16-3-1 with a 2.07 GAA and .916 SV% and 3 shutouts. Incredibly enough, lesser prospect Blake Weyrick is outpacing him - going 11-2-1 with a .922 SV% and a 1.85 GAA. Lowell is 27-5-2 overall and is leading the AHL in points early on in the year.
Checking in on some other draft picks from the Golden Knights’ young history, 6th-rounder Ben Evans has come out strong in the ECHL, scoring 20 goals and 17 assists for 37 points in 32 games. In the CHL, 2018 2nd round pick Brandon Brown has bounced back from last year’s injuries to put up a 13-30-43 line in 34 games for Val-d’Ors in the QMJHL, while that year’s 6th round pick Akil Thomas has a strong 24-19-43 line in 33 games for Niagara in the OHL. Last year’s first round pick, Peyton Krebs, has been otherworldly for Kootenay in the WHL, playing 38 games and putting a up a 32-43-75 line in that time. 2019 7th rounder Koby Morrisseau has a solid 17-20-37 line in 37 games for Portland in the WHL as well. Lastly, Keijo Weibel, the 20 year old Swiss defenseman picked in the 6th round last year, has put up a strong 2-16-18 line in 12 games in the Swiss Junioren Elite A league, averaging 26:40 in ice time each night.
Taking a stroll around the league, the St. Louis Blues have finally come into their own, outpacing the Blackhawks and leading the league with 62 points at the halfway point. They’re being led by Vladimir Tarasenko, who’s tied for the league lead in goals with Jack Eichel (30). Leon Draisaitl leads the league overall in scoring, with a 22-32-54 line. Filip Gustavsson continues his hot start to his career with the Penguins, pacing the league with 27 wins. Henrik Lundqvist is enjoying a late-career renaissance - at the midway point he leads the league with a 2.30 GAA and 7 shutouts. Devan Dubnyk continues his strong play for the Minnesota Wild, putting up a .929 SV% that ranks tops in the NHL.
There hasn’t been too many trades, with most of the names being swapped around the league being 4th liners, AHL guys, or prospects. The two biggest names to switch address so far this year are Antti Raanta, who finds himself in Edmonton after the Oilers sent a 3rd round pick to Boston. Raanta came out of the gate hot in his new home, so far putting up an 8-1-1 record with a 2.49 GAA and .911 SV%. The other notable face in a new place is Keith Yandle - the Panthers traded him to the Seattle Metropolitans in exchange for 25 year old RW Connor Brown.
There’s still a lot of hockey to be played - the Golden Knights hope that they can play more like they did in the first quarter of the year and make a late playoff push. But, even if they continue to flounder, GM Dan Hampton has said he’s happy with the building blocks that have been put in place. We’ll check back closer to the trade deadline!
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