Knights report card: Team earns high marks overall despite poor finish
Clark County wrapped up its school year Friday. What better time than now to grade the Golden Knights’ season?
It’s been two weeks since the Knights were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the NHL playoffs. There’s been plenty to digest in that time.
After some reflection, here are the grades the team earned in 2024-25:
Team grades
Team offense: B+
The Knights finished with the fifth-most goals in the league (274) in the regular season.
Right wing Pavel Dorofeyev led the team with 35, while center Tomas Hertl added 32. Center Brett Howden (23), center Nicolas Roy (15) and right wing Keegan Kolesar (12) also set career highs in goals.
All that scoring dried up in the playoffs. The Knights averaged 2.55 goals per game in the postseason. They were shut out in Games 4 and 5 of the Oilers series, which has coach Bruce Cassidy considering changes to the team’s mindset in the offensive zone.
“It’s not about scoring six or seven goals,” captain Mark Stone said. “It’s about scoring one more than your opponent and scoring big goals. I think that’s where it comes down to. We weren’t able to get the overtime winner (in Game 5).”
Team defense: A-
The Knights allowed the third-fewest goals in the NHL in the regular season (214). They were worse in the playoffs, allowing 3.18 per game, but that wasn’t due to breakdowns defensively. Poor puck management was the main culprit.
The Knights also did a good job of game planning against Edmonton stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who combined for only three goals in their series.
“We have a good team. When you don’t win, it’s because you didn’t score enough, but we also worked real hard to defend,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “Even in our series, we lost a game where we scored four goals.”
Special teams: A-
The Knights had the seventh-worst penalty kill in the NHL last season. But they had the best power play in team history.
The Knights converted 28.3 percent of their opportunities on the man advantage, the second-best mark in the league.
The only thing that held their power play back was a lack of opportunities. They had 187 chances on the man advantage, the second-fewest in an 82-game campaign in NHL history.
Special teams remained an edge for the club in the playoffs. The Knights were 8-for-31 on the power play and 20-for-24 on the penalty kill in the postseason.
Forwards
Jack Eichel: A+
The 28-year-old scored a career-high 94 points and was one of the best two-way centers in the league. He’s eligible to sign a contract extension July 1.
Mark Stone: A-
The captain’s 67 points and 66 games were the most he’s had since the 2018-19 season. He was also much more available, outside of a pulled muscle that caused him to miss most of November.
Ivan Barbashev: B
Barbashev scored 15 goals his first 31 games. He had eight in his final 39 after returning from an upper-body injury that forced him to miss more than a month.
Tomas Hertl: A-
Hertl was the Knights’ top power-play weapon and got better at five-on-five as the season went on. He didn’t record a point the final seven games of the playoffs, however.
Pavel Dorofeyev: A
Dorofeyev passed his first test as a full-time NHL player. The 24-year-old finished with 13 power-play goals, second on the team behind Hertl (14).
Brandon Saad: B
The 32-year-old fit in immediately after signing a one-year deal in January, finishing with 14 points in 29 games. Saad sat out the final two games against the Oilers with an undisclosed injury and was missed.
Brett Howden: A-
Howden signed a five-year extension in November and scored a career-high 40 points in 80 games.
William Karlsson: B
Lower-body injuries forced the Original Misfit to miss 29 games. His defensive presence was felt in the playoffs, however.
Reilly Smith: B-
Smith looked like his old self after the Knights reacquired him prior to the trade deadline. That’s a good sign if the team wants to bring him back on a new contract.
Tanner Pearson: B-
Pearson, 32, played well on the fourth line after making the team in training camp. It remains to be seen if the Knights will bring him back.
Nicolas Roy: B
Roy had a quiet start to the year, but finished strong with eight goals in his final 20 regular-season games.
Keegan Kolesar: B
Kolesar earned a three-year extension in December and set a career high in points (30). He didn’t score a goal in the playoffs.
Cole Schwindt: B-
Schwindt played 42 games for the Knights after being claimed off waivers from the Calgary Flames in October. He scored his first NHL goal with an empty-netter against the Vancouver Canucks on April 16.
Alexander Holtz: D+
Holtz, the seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft, was acquired from the New Jersey Devils in a trade in June.
He did not meet expectations. He finished with four goals and 12 points in 53 games and was assigned to the Silver Knights for the second half of the season.
Defensemen
Shea Theodore: A
Theodore, who scored a career-high 57 points, might have received serious Norris Trophy consideration if he didn’t break his wrist during the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Brayden McNabb: A
The Knights’ ironman played in all 82 regular-season games for the third year in a row and was a team-best plus-42. The 34-year-old is only getting better with age.
Noah Hanifin: B-
Hanifin had mixed results his first full season with the Knights. He scored 39 points in 80 games but struggled defensively at times.
Alex Pietrangelo: B-
The 35-year-old pulled out of the 4 Nations Face-Off due to an undisclosed injury and could use the offseason to recover.
Nic Hague: C
Hague, a 2017 second-round pick, is a restricted free agent this summer. The Knights will need to decide what he’s worth with defenseman Kaedan Korczak waiting to become an NHL regular.
Zach Whitecloud: C
Whitecloud and Hague are longtime partners but were outscored 20-11 at five-on-five this season. Whitecloud’s best hockey came when he played with Hanifin.
Kaedan Korczak: B
The 24-year-old finished with 10 assists in 40 games and should get an expanded role next season.
Ben Hutton: Incomplete
The consummate professional played just 11 games but was praised for his work ethic and upbeat attitude.
Goaltenders
Adin Hill: A-
Hill started a career-high 50 games and earned a six-year extension in March.
Ilya Samsonov: C-
Samsonov had an .891 save percentage his first season with the Knights and fell out of favor before the playoffs.
Akira Schmid: B-
Schmid struggled in Henderson, posting an .886 save percentage with the Silver Knights. But he was excellent after being called up to the NHL, going 2-0-1 with a .944 save percentage in three starts.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
