How the Golden Knights’ lineup could look in 2019-20

By Justin Emerson

Monday, Aug. 5, 2019 | 2 a.m.

At this point in the offseason, the Golden Knights’ roster is mostly set. Maybe there are some small moves here and there, but for the most part everyone who will suit up Oct. 2 in the opener against San Jose is already under contract.

What will that lineup look like? There’s no Colin Miller, Erik Haula, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Ryan Carpenter or Nikita Gusev. But the core of the team is still here, and here’s how the Golden Knights could look on opening night.

First line: LW Max Pacioretty, C Paul Stastny, RW Mark Stone

It was clear from the moment these three skated together that they were Vegas’ top unit. Stone is the best defensive player on the team, and the second-best defensive forward in the league based on last year’s Selke voting. He’s covered a lot of defensive warts by his linemates over his career, and with Vegas he has a defensive stalwart in Stastny who can win faceoffs and get either of his wingers the puck.

Then there’s Pacioretty, who despite a down year in 2018-19 still potted 22 goals. He’ll have two of the best stick-handlers on the team to his right, and a return to form is likely, if not probable. Stone is maybe Vegas’ best all-around player, and the Golden Knights are thrilled to have a full season of him.

Second line: LW Jonathan Marchessault, C William Karlsson, RW Reilly Smith

This line follows a similar blueprint to Vegas’ other top line: goal scorer and elite defender (Karlsson and Stone), strong defender who will rack up the assists (Smith and Stastny) and a sniper who can focus on lighting the lamp (Marchessault and Pacioretty).

This trio has been together for three years and it’s unlikely they split up to open the year. They all play off each other well, all three were on the power play and Karlsson and Smith play lots of penalty-kill minutes. This is the core of the team.

Third line: LW Brandon Pirri, C Cody Eakin, RW Alex Tuch

It may not have looked like this line would make it coming into the season with Eakin as a potential trade option and Pirri’s future unclear. Then Pirri signed a two-year deal, Eakin remained in Vegas and the team shipped off Nikita Gusev. Alex Tuch is the best forward on the team outside the top-six, and Eakin is the next-best center. Pirri doesn’t fit the role coach Gerard Gallant likes in a fourth line, leaving the third-line left wing, where he played most of his minutes last year, as a viable option.

Defense will be something to keep an eye on with this line, as it doesn’t have a lockdown defender like the other lines will. But with Eakin’s playmaking and Pirri’s and Tuch’s knack for putting the puck in the net, scoring won’t be an issue.

Fourth line: LW William Carrier, C Tomas Nosek, RW Ryan Reaves

This is the line that will have the most variance game-to-game. Carrier and Reaves flanked Pierre-Edouard Bellemare last year, and Nosek plays a similar game to Bellemare if Gallant wants to keep the two bruising wingers together.

This line may not look like it’s going to score much, but Nosek provides defensive stability to two wingers who both tallied career-bests in goals last year. If some of the Golden Knights’ younger players force their way into the lineup, this line is where they could slide in.

First pair: LD Brayden McNabb, RD Shea Theodore

Last year without McNabb on his line, Theodore had a Corsi percentage of 56.0, a goals-for percentage of 44.9, and an expected goals-for percentage of 55.8 at 5-on-5. When Theodore and McNabb were together, they combined for a 57.3 Corsi percentage, 55.2 goals-for percentage and 58.7 expected goals-for percentage. Put simply: Theodore and McNabb were awesome together, and Theodore showed more of his offensive ability playing on his off-side.

It’s the classic tandem of an offensive defenseman paired with a steady defensive presence and a full season of these two together has the potential to be the best pairing in Vegas’ short history.

Second pair: LD Jon Merrill, RD Nate Schmidt

A Theodore-McNabb duo leaves Schmidt either returning to Deryk Engelland as a partner or moving onto one of Vegas’ other blueliners. Merrill improved across the board in the second half of the season, seeing both his possession numbers and raw points numbers increase. He’s 27, in a contract year and could thrive playing alongside Schmidt, who showed he could play the left side as well as the right.

Schmidt might be Vegas’ best individual defender but statistically didn’t quite click with Engelland the way the team would have hoped. Starting him off with Merrill, with whom he has a played a total of 59 minutes over two seasons, could pay dividends if Merrill can take the step to top-four defenseman.

Third pair: LD Nicolas Hague, RD Deryk Engelland

The Golden Knights paired Engelland with Theodore for the better part of two years, allowing a young left-handed offensive defenseman to find his footing in the NHL with an experienced stay-at-home righty. Both Hague and Jimmy Schuldt shoot left and will be the biggest roster battle in September. I’ll give the slight edge to Hague, who played well in Chicago last year and has a higher ceiling, while Schuldt has one professional game under his belt, though it was in the NHL.

As for Engelland, he showed his age (37 on opening night) at times last year and could see a reduced role this season. Helping to usher in a rookie defenseman could suit his talents well in 2019-20.

Goalies: Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban

This is obvious. Fleury is a future Hall of Famer and will get the lion’s share of the work, while Subban has filled in when needed. The team acquired Garret Sparks from Toronto this offseason, but Subban has been in the system and worked with goalie coach Dave Prior for two years. Unless one of them gets hurt or Subban takes a massive step back this year, don’t expect to see anyone else between the pipes.

Scratches: RW Valentin Zykov, C Nicolas Roy, D Nick Holden

Nineteen of the 20 dressed players are pretty set in stone, with the rookie defenseman the only wild card. Zykov probably makes the roster. He’s been with the team since it claimed him off waivers in December, and if you just watched practice you’d think he’s a star. The Golden Knights see something in him they are trying to get to click during games.

Roy, 22, doesn’t have much left to prove in the AHL, and after coming over from Carolina in the Erik Haula deal, could find himself as a regular by midseason. The front office loved the way he played against AHL Chicago in the Calder Cup Finals and they probably didn’t trade Haula for someone they view as a minor leaguer.

Holden is a nice veteran presence if the rookie defenseman struggles. The Golden Knights could choose to waive him and stash him in the minor leagues if he clears later in the year, but it’s unlikely the team starts the year with two rookies on the blue line.

Next men up: C Cody Glass, D Jimmy Schuldt, F Patrick Brown, D Zach Whitecloud, G Garret Sparks, G Oscar Dansk

No team will ever get through a season with just 23 players, and Vegas has plenty of depth in the AHL when the need arises. Glass is the most intriguing option, and there’s a good chance he makes the lineup out of camp. Vegas has shown a desire to let their prospects develop longer than some would like, and Glass’ only professional experience came in last year’s Calder Cup playoffs. Schuldt is the same way, and may very well see himself in Vegas to open the season. He’s four years older than Hague, which could play to his favor in training camp.

Brown was an interesting minor league free agent signing, and he played with Roy at AHL Charlotte in the Hurricanes’ system last year. He’s the oldest player currently under contract that is not in the NHL. Whitecloud, like Hague, played well in Chicago last year and could see time with the Golden Knights at some point.

Dansk has been in the Vegas system and has played for the Golden Knights, and Sparks has NHL experience in Chicago. Both should be ready if an injury hits Fleury or Subban.