Lawless: Youthful Exuberance

A little youthful exuberance can go a long way with a veteran hockey team. Winning takes a serious approach. But you don’t work hockey, you play it. There’s gotta be some joy out there.

The Golden Knights have never been shy about expectations. Owner Bill Foley likes to win. GM Kelly McCrimmon says the team is in “the winning business.”

Eight trips to the playoffs, three Stanley Cup Final appearances, more playoff and playoff series wins than any franchise since joining the NHL, and a Stanley Cup championship in 2022-23. These guys know what they’re doing when it comes to building a team.

The day-in, day-out of an NHL season can be mentally and physically taxing. There’s pressure to perform, grueling travel and injuries both big and small are a fact of life in pro hockey.

Having a happy and functioning dressing room is key. So is keeping it fresh. And having some new and young faces in the group is a bonus.

The issue for a team like the Golden Knights is there is rarely an opening for new blood. They have a deep and talented team, and when McCrimmon adds players, they are often seasoned veterans brought in to fill an identified need.

This season, however, Vegas went for peach fuzz over graybeard when tweaking the roster. Trevor Connelly (20), Braeden Bowman (23), Rafael Lavoie (26) and Marc Gatcomb (27) have added energy and effervescence to the mix.

“It’s great to have some young guys around. They keep the rest of us young,” said defenseman Noah Hanifin.

Gatcomb said the VGK dressing room is welcoming, but living up to the level of play and preparation is part of the equation.

“Every night there’s a standard to win and the expectations are so high,” he said. “There’s really no room for error here. It’s the best of the best. And when you look around the room, the guys that are in here, everyone’s so talented and I think the structure of this team is so in place. Every line and every D pair bring a different element that helps our team in such a unique way. As you guys can see when we play the right way, there’s not many teams that can play with us, which is kind of what we’re looking to build.”

What the numbers say:

• 18 skaters with a point (t-6th)
• 13 skaters with a goal (t-5th)
• 2 goalies with 3+ wins (t-1st)
• 2 goalies with positive xG saved (t-1st)
• 14 even strength points from D (t-6th)
• 7 goals from 1st line
• 6 goals from 2nd line
• 11 goals from 3rd line
• 2 goals from 4th line
• Braydon McNabb and Shea Theodore have been on for 11 GF and 4 GA (+7, 2nd among all D pairs)
• Jack Eichel’s 13 points are tied for 3rd most in the NHL
• William Karlsson is 3rd in the NHL in FO% at 64.5 (min 50 faceoffs)