The Vegas Golden Knights have spent their first decade building something most franchises spend years chasing. They reached the Stanley Cup Final in their first season, won the championship in 2023, and did it by leaning into depth, competitiveness, and a front office willing to make hard calls.
That kind of success always comes with turnover. Players who helped shape the identity eventually move on, and as the 2026-27 season gets closer, several familiar names are now scattered around the league.
Jonathan Marchessault stands out above the rest. One of the original “Misfits” from Vegas’ inaugural roster, he grew into one of the most important players in franchise history after arriving as an expansion selection.
Marchessault became a fan favorite for his edge, his scoring touch, and the way he played with bite. His biggest stage came in 2023, when he led the playoffs in scoring and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP during the Golden Knights’ championship run.
After seven seasons in Vegas, Marchessault hit free agency following the 2023-24 season and signed with the Nashville Predators. His move closed the book on one of the last remaining pieces of the original expansion group, but his place in Golden Knights history is already locked in. He helped turn an expansion team into a Stanley Cup champion.
Logan Thompson’s Vegas run was shorter, but his path made him one of the more interesting success stories to come out of the organization. He arrived as an undrafted goaltender, worked his way through the professional ranks, and eventually forced his way into the NHL picture. Once he got his chance, he looked like a legitimate starter and gave Vegas another young option in goal.
That chapter ended in the summer of 2024, when Thompson was traded to the Washington Capitals. The deal gave Washington a young goalie with starting experience, while Vegas added assets as it continued reshaping the roster. Now he’s entering another season in Washington, still trying to cement himself as a long-term NHL starter.
Chandler Stephenson was another major piece of the championship core before leaving for a new role. Vegas acquired him from the Washington Capitals during the 2019-20 season, and he quickly became one of the most dependable players on the roster. His speed, versatility, and two-way game made him a natural fit in the Golden Knights’ system.
He was especially valuable during the 2022-23 season, when he helped drive Vegas to its first Stanley Cup title. Stephenson could be trusted in just about any situation, and that reliability made him one of the team’s most important forwards. After the 2023-24 season, he left in free agency and joined the Seattle Kraken starting with the 2024-25 season.
Keegan Kolesar’s game was built on a different kind of value, but it mattered just as much to the Golden Knights’ identity. He developed into a dependable bottom-six forward who brought physicality, forechecking, and a willingness to battle in the hard areas of the ice. On a team defined by depth, that role carried weight.
Kolesar gave Vegas energy and toughness, helping create room for the more skilled players to do their work. Now he’s headed into a new chapter with the Detroit Red Wings for the 2026-27 season.
Pavel Dorofeyev’s exit came from a different place entirely. Unlike the other names here, he represented the next wave of Vegas talent. The forward showed flashes of becoming a consistent offensive piece and offered the Golden Knights another young scoring threat.
His shot and offensive instincts made him an intriguing part of the organization’s future, but the trade that sent him to the New York Rangers gave him a fresh opportunity elsewhere. He’ll look to keep building his game in a new setting.
For Vegas, the story is bigger than the individual departures. The Golden Knights have already created a history that keeps stretching beyond the players who first built it. Marchessault, Thompson, Stephenson, Kolesar, and Dorofeyev each played their own part, whether as cornerstone pieces, championship contributors, or promising young talent.
They’re in different places now, but they still belong in the Golden Knights’ story as the franchise keeps pushing for more.
In Other News...
Golden Knights Still Feel The Fallout From One Costly Tortorella Stretch
John Tortorellas brief run behind the Vegas bench in late March of 2026 still carries a longer shadow than anyone in the organization likely wanted. What looked at the time like a jolt of veteran edge quickly became part of the bigger story around a season that unraveled in the spotlight, with the club left to absorb criticism for decisions made during the Stanley Cup Final and the way the coaching change reverberated far beyond the bench.
The fallout has not been limited to one series, either. Vegas is still dealing with the leagues punishment tied to Tortorellas handling of a postgame obligation, a penalty that cost the Golden Knights a valuable draft asset and turned a short coaching stint into something much more expensive. For a team trying to move on, it is the kind of baggage that lingers long after the games themselves are forgotten. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Face Real Doubt After Quiet Offseason
The Golden Knights went into the offseason with a familiar challenge: keep the core intact without losing ground to the rest of the Western Conference. Instead, their summer was defined more by restraint than splash. Vegas re-signed Victor Olofsson and moved Pavel Dorofeyev rather than committing to a pricey extension, but beyond those decisions there was not much to point to as a major shift, which is part of why The Hockey News slotted the team 24th in its 2026 offseason rankings.
For a team that has built a reputation on staying aggressive, that quiet approach has created some unease, especially with divisional rivals trying to get better and a new head coach taking over without previous NHL head coaching experience. Still, the Pacific Division is viewed as a soft landing spot compared with the leagues tougher pockets, and that alone may keep Vegas in the mix even if the offseason felt more cautious than convincing. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Still Have A Fleury Standard No Goalie Has Touched
Marc-Andre Fleurys time in Vegas may be long over, but his imprint on the Golden Knights still shows up every time the franchise looks back at its goalie ledger. He remains the standard for saves, save percentage, goals against average, shutouts, and games played, a reminder of just how quickly he became the defining netminder of the teams early years and how hard it has been for anyone else to match that run.
Adin Hill is the closest active goalie to threatening some of those marks, but injuries and uneven stretches have made the climb harder than it once looked. Carter Hart is another name worth watching in the bigger picture, and the Golden Knights will keep weighing how to build the position next, whether that means developing a young goalie internally or going after a proven starter through trade. [Read more 🡒]