We are roughly a month and a half away from training camp. While that seems impossibly soon for an organization whose season ended on June 13, the good news for Kelly McCrimmon and the Vegas Golden Knights brass is that they can exhale a bit knowing that much of the heavy lifting is done. Re-signing Brett Howden essentially completes the club’s 23-man roster, with Robin Lehner’s expectant return to LTIR likely absorbing the more than $4 million in cap overages.
As any NHL executive knows, however, things are never really that easy. For as fortunate as the Golden Knights are to be returning so many members of a Stanley Cup-winning roster, questions still linger over whether the roster boasts sufficient forward depth and whether Adin Hill and Logan Thompson can fulfill all goaltending requirements for a full season. And that’s to say nothing of the looming prospect of a Cup hangover.
Those issues, however, are expected to play out over time and won’t have any real answers until well into the season. A more immediate focus centers on the absence of Pittsburgh-bound Reilly Smith. The Vegas original has been a top-six mainstay since day one and leaves a pretty significant void to be filled on the second-line wing.
If we assume that head coach Bruce Cassidy carries line combinations over from the 2023 postseason, then Smith’s replacement will begin the season slotted alongside Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone on the No. 2 line behind Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault and Ivan Barbashev. Things could always change, but this is still a pressing question that has a number of candidates worth considering.
Nicolas Roy
Why not replace one Vegas original with another? Nicolas Roy’s resume for the second-line job would make a strong argument considering the 26-year-old has filled the role at various times in the past. Having been a veritable Swiss army knife for the Golden Knights in the past, Roy has offered value stepping into any role asked of him as injuries and cap constraints have thrust him into an array of different roles, which he’s handled admirably.
A bump to a regular top-six role for Roy would also stand as an acknowledgment that he isn’t merely a big body lacking in offensive upside. The Amos, Quebec native has 29 goals and 69 points over the past two seasons and could be poised for another offensive jump if he lines up alongside Stephenson and Stone.
Brett Howden
For what it’s worth, Daily Faceoff currently has Howden lined up on the wing alongside Stephenson and Stone. That obviously won’t mean anything to Cassidy and the coaching staff, but it does point to the legitimate possibility of seeing the 25-year-old get an opportunity in the top-six.
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Howden’s 13-point regular season certainly doesn’t jump off the page, but he successfully managed to turn some heads by recording five goals and 10 points while embracing a larger role in the playoffs. His combination of high IQ and defensively sound hockey enabled him to chip in offensively while providing quality minutes against top opposing lines. He could serve as the responsible two-way anchor up front while Stephenson and Stone go on the attack in the offensive zone.
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Paul Cotter
Paul Cotter proved to be the odd man out come playoff time, but that shouldn’t take away from a highly encouraging rookie season that saw him pot 13 goals despite averaging less than 13 minutes a night over 55 games. Counting for just $775,000 against the cap in each of the next three seasons, the Golden Knights are very curious to see exactly what the 23-year-old Michigan native can offer as he develops further into an NHL regular.
Could that NHL future come on the second line? Cassidy and company will surely be tempted to have a look at what Cotter can offer as one of the few players who might actually be able to keep pace with Stephenson and Stone at full speed. Considering the aforementioned veterans both like showcasing their playmaking chops, slotting in a capable finisher makes plenty of sense.
Pavel Dorofeyev
If the coaches want to make a moderate bet on upside when it comes to the vacant second line left wing spot, Cotter would be the choice. If they really want to take a gamble, it might be Pavel Dorofeyev that gets a look. The 22-year-old Russian has just 20 games of NHL experience under his belt. However, last year he managed seven goals in just eight of them, which ultimately works out to what is roughly a 30-goal pace over a full season.
The catch-22 with Dorofeyev is the youngster would typically develop on depth, checking lines, but his skill set doesn’t align with what would be asked of him in those roles. Second line duties would be akin to jumping in the deep end while learning to swim, but it also might suit Dorofeyev while continuing to dedicate the depth lines to the likes of Roy, Cotter, William Carrier and Keegan Kolesar.
Really, the question of ‘who replaces Smith’ is probably over-dramatic. In all likelihood, training camp will be used to give the coaching staff a look at numerous options for the role – and that’s only if they decide to keep everything else as status quo. But within an organization where things seem to be largely settled for the time being, filling the shoes of a celebrated original qualifies as a big deal.
