Chandler Stephenson excels in expanded role with Golden Knights

Chandler Stephenson is entering his sixth NHL season in a far different place than he began his fifth.

Stephenson was at the end of the Washington Capitals’ lineup at fourth-line center four games into last season after center Evgeny Kuznetsov returned from suspension. He was about as far from star sniper Alexander Ovechkin as he could get.

The Golden Knights have taken the opposite approach with Stephenson. They’ve stuck him between their two most expensive forwards — Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty — and trusted him to fill the top-six void left when center Paul Stastny was traded to Winnipeg in the offseason.

It’s now up to Stephenson to show he’s up to the task.

“It’s tough to see a guy like (Stastny) go, and (defenseman Nate Schmidt), but that’s the business,” Stephenson said. “It sucks. Obviously, playing with (Pacioretty) and (Stone), they make your life really easy.”

To hear Stone tell it, Stephenson’s early struggles to establish himself in the NHL weren’t about his game. He was always skilled. The two played against each other in the Western Hockey League, where Stephenson showed he could produce in a large role.

But the Capitals were never going to give him that. Not with franchise icon Nicklas Backstrom and Kuznetsov entrenched as the top two centers.

So the Knights sent Washington a fifth-round pick in December 2019 and gave Stephenson what he always needed: an opportunity. Getting some time in the top six, he had 22 points in 41 games — eclipsing his previous career high in the equivalent of half a season — and earned a four-year, $11 million extension.

“Coming here, I didn’t know what to expect,” Stephenson said. “Once I got playing and meeting everybody … it was something that me and my family and everybody was excited about. I wanted to be here for a long time.”

New contract in hand, Stephenson, 26, is set to have more responsibility than ever this season. His job is to keep his highly paid wingers productive and make their lives as easy as possible. There’s already plenty of evidence he should be up to the task.

When Stephenson, Stone and Pacioretty shared the ice last season, the Knights outscored their opponents 20-5 at five-on-five. Their expected goals percentage — a scoring projection based on shot data — of 69.3 ranked third in the NHL among all lines and defensive pairs who played at least 100 minutes together, according to MoneyPuck.com.

The key to their effectiveness was Stephenson’s speed. Stone called him “one of the fastest guys in the league.” Stephenson’s ability to speed up the transition game and pull defenders away from his wingers caused defenses fits. Pacioretty had more time and space to fire his lethal snap shot, and Stone had more room when setting up his teammates.

“I feel like wherever you put (Stephenson), it immediately puts the other team on its heels, which creates some space for guys like (Stone) to handle the puck,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “When you give guys like (Stone) the puck with some time, they’re going to make plays.”

DeBoer hopes reuniting the three will inspire the same magic they created last season. It’s a tremendous show of faith in Stephenson, who has evolved from an expendable depth piece to a crucial forward for a Stanley Cup contender in about a year.

“He’s probably the fastest guy I’ve ever played with,” Pacioretty said. “I think our line wants to revolve around the speed in the middle, and he definitely brings that.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.