2024-25 NHL Season: How The Vegas Golden Knights Should Construct Their Lines

2024-25 NHL Season: How The Vegas Golden Knights Should Construct Their Lines

I first want to start out by saying the “should” in the title needs to include a heavy asterisk. I’m not the coach. I respect Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy a lot and if you listen to one of his press conferences, he’s clearly very intelligent. He doesn’t need me to say that. His teams always have one of the best marks in terms of goals against in the league every single year. Doesn’t matter who is on his team. He’s a Stanley Cup winning coach and had a lot to do with the year they won it.

I’m going to get on with the point now because I hope you have enough reading comprehension skills to understand what I led with. I don’t know what Vegas will start out with and a lot of this depends on training camp. I understand all of that. Let’s call this a thoughts dump and see if we somehow stumbled upon magic. Because at the end of the day, things will play out on the ice and all the planning in the world can’t understand what the Chinese farmer already knows. There are answers out there. We just have to find them.

Line one: Tomas Hertl, Jack Eichel, Alexander Holtz

Let me start by saying this. I don’t think Tomas Hertl and Mark Stone should play on the same line. It looked clunky last year and they are too similar in the sense that they’re bigger bodies but slower skaters.

Creating an elite top line is the best way to offset the loss of Jonathan Marchessault early in the season. Ivan Barbashev is a nice enforcer for the line come playoff time but does he actually provide enough offense to be a top-line player? I like Hertl in that spot on the top line who can be another face off guy and net-front presence with Eichel doing the damage in the middle.

Plus, a Hertl and Eichel pairing makes life really easier for one of these wingers. I say throw the young gun Alexander Holtz right into the fire. Holtz, a trade pick-up from New Jersey, has the most upside as a former 7th overall pick. He’s a shot first guy, which is exactly what Eichel needs. Find out what you have in Holtz. If he can’t score goals with Eichel, he’s not the guy in that spot long term. Early in the season is the time to find that out. Not when you need goals and you can’t find them later in the season.

Line two: Ivan Barbashev, William Karlsson, Mark Stone

William Karlsson scored 30 goals last year and is already regarded as one of the better shutdown centers in the league. It’s really nice when he’s your third center but why not elevate Nic Roy? Are we sure Roy should just play 4th line center forever? He’s too skilled to not get more ice time. Especially with the offseason departures.

Having Karlsson and Stone on the same line provides incredible defense. Add in Barby and you give Stone the bouncer he needs to keep him healthy all season. Best way to make sure Stone isn’t taking cheap shots is by putting the biggest prick on the team you have on his line. I think it makes too much sense to not happen and Barby can score goals if given the opportunity.

Line three: Pavel Dorofeyev, Nic Roy, Victor Olofsson

Now is the time to find out if Roy can be a real third line center. He’s already the best 4th line center in the league. With the way he checks and dances around out there, Roy should handle this role just fine. Pavel Dorofeyev popped some goals last year and should take another step forward. Victor Olofsson is the veteran add that could be swapped with Holtz in the lineup if a change is needed. He at least brings some goal scoring prowess.

Line four: Jonas Røndbjerg, Brett Howden, Keegan Kolesar

Brett Howden. That’s all that needs to be said. If he can’t fill this role he shouldn’t be on the team. Vegas has too many young wingers that need a chance. Playing Howden in an elevated wing spot makes no sense given the fact that you need to find out what you truly have with Dorofeyev, Holtz, and Brisson. There already is barely room for all of them.

If Howden can’t fill this role, his $1.9 million needs to come off the books. It is what it is.

Additional Comments:

Brendan Brisson is the first call up. When someone goes down, he gets plugged into the lineup, which will happen at some point. Why not give Brisson big minutes at the AHL level to start the year? Let’s build him some confidence. Have him dominant in the minors and be ready to fill that NHL role later.

The D core is still amazing. It’s going to be the reason why they make the playoffs again. I don’t know who needs to hear this but this team is still very much a Stanley Cup contender. What will determine that is if they can get a pop year from one of the young wingers. If that doesn’t happen, Mitch Marner could be on the way in the offseason.

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