Opening Knight is here, and that means the Vegas Golden Knights are back in the spotlight with a fresh round of bold calls for 2026-27.
The biggest swing in the bunch lands on Trevor Connelly. Vegas Hockey Knight is all-in on the rookie, and the prediction is simple: Connelly leads the Golden Knights in goals scored this season.
The case is built on a few obvious advantages - veterans around him, confidence in his own game, and the kind of swagger that has people expecting a real impact right away. The source points to him as a player who should pile up points, while also leaving room for the usual uncertainty that comes with young talent.
Still, the belief here is strong enough to call for a major scoring season from the first-round pick.
That same confidence shows up in another Connelly take: he’s being pegged as a Calder Trophy contender. He has already made the opening-night roster, skating in three of four preseason games and surviving the club’s last roster cuts.
The 2024 19th-overall pick has also spent two AHL seasons producing at a high level, putting up 53 points in 52 games overall and posting an over-point-per-game season this past year despite injury. He’s expected to center by Tomas Hertl on the Golden Knights’ third line, and he also logged power-play time on the second unit in Vegas’ final preseason game.
All of that adds up to what the article frames as a breakout rookie year, with Connelly finishing at worst third in Calder voting.
The third prediction centers on Carter Hart, and it’s a big one for the Golden Knights’ crease. The team is coming off a run that ended two wins short of a second title in four years in June 2026, and Hart was a major reason they pushed that far.
After mixed results early in his time with the club, he closed on a 7-1-0 run, helped Vegas win the Pacific Division, and then carried that momentum into a strong playoff stretch. Now he has the starting job, and the prediction is that he becomes the third Golden Knights goalie to reach 30 wins in a season.
Only Marc-Andre Fleury and Adin Hill have done that before, and Hart’s chance would mark a new line in team history. In six seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, he never topped 24 wins, so reaching 30 in Vegas would be a notable jump.
Taken together, the bold calls paint a clear picture of where the optimism is focused: Connelly as the rookie scorer, Connelly as the Calder threat, and Hart as the goalie capable of turning a strong playoff finish into a full-season statement.
In Other News...
Golden Knights Open With Early Pressure On A Reshaped Bottom Six
The Golden Knights are opening their 10th NHL season with a fresh look in the bottom six, and there is real intrigue in how the roster shakeup will play out under head coach Ryan Craig. Vegas has leaned into its new pieces, including first-round pick Trevor Connelly and Braeden Bowman, both of whom have earned spots on the roster as the team settles on its line combinations for the season opener against Chicago.
For a club that has spent years building around depth and versatility, the way those lower-line groups settle in could go a long way toward shaping the tone of the night. The early pressure will not just be on the usual top-end names, but on the newcomers who now have a chance to show they belong from the start, with the opening game offering the first real test of how reshaped this forward group can be. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Just Changed Course Behind The Bench Again
The Golden Knights are once again making a change behind the bench, turning from John Tortorella to Ryan Craig after the 2025-26 season. Craig comes in from the organizations AHL affiliate in Henderson, where he had been coaching the next wave of talent, and the move points toward a different feel for a roster that has long been built to win now.
What makes this shift notable is the direction it suggests. Craig is expected to lean more toward collaboration and to give younger players a clearer path into the lineup, a contrast that could reshape how Vegas develops and deploys its depth. Analyst Steve Peters has already weighed in on the approach and what it might mean for the Golden Knights, but the real test will be whether the new bench voice can balance that developmental mandate with the expectations that come with a contender. [Read more 🡒]
Marner Is Bringing A Different Edge To Vegas Cup Push
Mitch Marners first season in Vegas gave the Golden Knights exactly the kind of jolt they hoped for when they brought him in. He adapted quickly to new positions and new linemates, stayed productive all year and then turned it up in the playoffs, leading the NHL with 29 postseason points while helping push the Knights all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
The bigger question now is how much more there is to come in Year 2. Marner has already talked about being motivated to get back to the Final and do even better in a second season with Vegas, which is a promising sign for a team still chasing another title run. After the way his first year unfolded, the Knights have every reason to believe his next one could carry an even sharper edge. [Read more 🡒]