Vegas Golden Knights
Coming into this season the Vegas Golden Knights are a team that intrigues me quite a bit. While there is no doubt, they are still a good team, I don't think they are the powerhouse team that they once were. While they still have an excellent defensive core, their forward depth is not as good as it once was.
The Golden Knights have been a well-managed team ever since they came into the league and after only being in the league for a couple of years, they have accomplished quite a bit in their short life as a franchise, but the NHL is cyclical, and I am starting to think that the sun is starting to set on the Golden Knights.
From an Oilers point of view, I was always a little bit scared to face the Golden Knights if they were to meet in the playoffs, but now I don't know if it is because the Oilers have gotten better or if the Knights have gotten worse, but the Knights just don't scare me anymore.
This doesn't mean that the Knights aren't a threat though. I still think the Knights will make the playoffs and I think they might finish better than they did last season. If by some miracle Mark Stone stays healthy for the whole season, then the Knights will be better the issue is I cannot remember the last time he played a whole 82 games season. (I looked it up, he has never actually played a whole 82 game season)
Prediction
I think the Knights will finish 3rd in the Pacific this season. I believe that they will have a slightly better season than last year, mostly because I think they saw what happens when you finish in a wild-card spot. Having to play one of the Division winners makes for a hard first round. They will push harder in the regular season to make their postseason easier. Plus, having a fully healthy team should help them out this season.