Stastny, Pacioretty and Mark Stone were Vegas' top acquisitions after last season and became the first line during the playoffs. The three combined for 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists) in the postseason, and Stone (12 points; six goals, six assists) and Pacioretty (11 points; five goals, six assists) were the top two playoff scorers in the NHL entering Thursday.
Stone said the three will benefit from playing a full season together. Stastny signed as a free agent July 1; Pacioretty (Sept. 9) and Stone (Feb. 25) each was acquired in a trade.
"We want to be a consistent group," Stone said. "I think that speaks for, not just our line, but it speaks for the 22 guys that'll be on the ice next year. We want to be a top team."
General manager George McPhee feels the Golden Knights have what it takes to remain competitive and that they can't dwell on how their season ended.
"We'll be back in the fall with a better team on the ice," he said. "You don't carry this stuff around. Don't engage in it, don't whine about it. That's not what this organization is about. You move on. We'll prepare all summer to make this team better next year and get back."
As for important free agents Vegas will have to address in the offseason, top-four defenseman Deryk Engelland, a longtime Las Vegas resident, said he would like to re-sign. Fourth-line forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare is one of the Golden Knights' top penalty-killers. Each is due to become an unrestricted free agent.
Center William Karlsson is a pending restricted free agent. He had 56 points (24 goals, 32 assists) this season after finishing with 78 points last season, including an NHL career-high 43 goals. He signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract Aug. 4, avoiding an arbitration hearing.
"Hopefully we can get a long-term deal going," Karlsson said. "Hopefully I'll stay here in the fall. I love it here. This is where I want to play."