The Vegas Golden Knights enter the 2026-27 season with very little drama on the surface, which is exactly why they remain such a difficult read for the rest of the Pacific Division. They finished 2025-26 at 39-26-17, claimed first in the division, and pushed all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before coming up short.
Even with that run behind them, Vegas didn’t blow things up. The roster looks almost the same, and the biggest change is behind the bench.
That change came after the Golden Knights moved on from head coach John Tortorella, who had been hired just before the playoffs after the club fired Bruce Cassidy. Vegas is turning the job over to Ryan Craig, who spent the last three seasons coaching the Henderson Silver Knights in the AHL. For a team that had a strong regular season and a long playoff march, the message from management was clear: keep the core intact and let the new coach inherit a team already built to win.
The numbers from last season tell the story of a club that did a lot of things right. Vegas scored 264 goals and allowed 242, while posting a 24.6% power play and an 81.4% penalty kill. That’s a strong profile across the board, and it explains why the Golden Knights are once again expected to sit near the top of the Pacific.
Still, there are a couple of questions hanging over this group. The first is whether a trip to the Stanley Cup Final leaves any kind of hangover.
The other is fatigue. Several important players also went to the Olympics, so there’s a possibility the early part of the season takes a little while to smooth out.
Even so, Vegas is expected to settle in before the end of 2026.
The player to watch is center William Karlsson. The 33-year-old appeared in only 14 regular-season games and also missed the first round of the playoffs because of an injury. If he stays healthy, Vegas’ center depth could be one of the best in the league, not just in the Western Conference.
As for the personnel changes, the Golden Knights added Marc Gatcomb, Victor Olofsson, Parker Wotherspoon, and Ville Heinola. They also lost Pavel Dorofeyev, Akira Schmid, Kaedan Korczak, and Keegan Kolesar.
Vancouver will see Vegas four times during the season: October 4 in Vancouver, November 15 in Vegas, March 25 in Vancouver, and March 31 in Vegas.
In Other News...
Canucks Suddenly Face Pressure On Liam hgren After Buium Deal
The Canucks took care of one major piece of business by locking up defenseman Zeev Buium on an eight-year deal before the leagues September 15, 2026 cutoff for that kind of contract. It was a timely move, not just for the players future but for Vancouvers long-term planning, with the new contract rules about to make those extended terms unavailable.
Now the attention shifts to Liam hgren, who is eligible to sign an eight-year extension for just the next 10 days before becoming a restricted free agent. Vancouver is expected to turn its focus to getting that deal done, and the Buium signing has only sharpened the sense of urgency around hgrens situation as the deadline approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Aatu Rty Just Gave Canucks Fans A Real Training Camp Reason To Watch
Aatu Rty is heading into Canucks training camp with a little extra buzz after helping Finland win gold at the 2026 World Championship. The Vancouver center made a strong international impression too, finishing with four goals and seven points in seven games, and that kind of summer usually carries a bit of momentum back into camp.
For Rty, though, the next step is less about one tournament and more about proving he can stick as a full-time NHL player. He enters the 2026-27 season focused on sharpening his skating and rounding out the rest of his game, with offseason work alongside Aleksander Barkov and Sebastian Aho adding to the intrigue. Manny Malhotra will be the one guiding him now, and for a player trying to turn promise into permanence, that makes this a camp storyline worth following closely. [Read more 🡒]
Lekkerimaki Arrives At Canucks Camp Facing One Crucial Test
Jonathan Lekkerimki is back in full with Canucks camp after a shoulder surgery in February, and his return comes with a clean slate of sorts as he builds toward the upcoming season without restrictions. The young winger has already resumed skating with teammates, taken part in a recent scrimmage and even made a quiet adjustment off the ice with a number change to 88, all signs that he is trying to put the injury behind him and re-enter the conversation on merit.
For Vancouver, the important part now is not simply that Lekkerimki is healthy again, but how he handles the pace and demands of camp after missing so much time. He sounded optimistic about both his recovery and his opportunity with the team, and the next stretch will tell the Canucks whether his offseason progress translates into a real push for a larger role. [Read more 🡒]