Golden Knights fans have a lot to be grateful for right now, especially when they look at what’s unfolding in Detroit.
Dylan Larkin was introduced to the Red Wings crowd before Detroit’s home opener against the New York Rangers, and the reaction from Little Caesars Arena was easy to imagine. The former captain, a native of Waterford, Michigan, has now become part of a far messier conversation. In this version of the story, Larkin grows frustrated with losing in Detroit, asks for a trade, and includes the Florida Panthers, the Minnesota Wild, and the Vegas Golden Knights on his list.
And he’s not the only one. Simon Edvinsson is also reportedly pushing to leave Detroit while locked in a major contract dispute. That kind of noise says plenty about where the Red Wings are right now, and it’s why fans are demanding change from owner Chris Ilitch and the team’s front office.
Vegas, by contrast, has spent years operating like one of the league’s model franchises. The Golden Knights have missed the playoffs only once, in 2021-22, reached the Stanley Cup Final three times, and won the Cup in 2023. The Red Wings haven’t made the playoffs since 2016.
That gap is what makes the comparison so stark. Strong ownership tends to set the tone, and the Golden Knights have lived that reality.
Bill Foley and company have been aggressive from the start, chasing stars like Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner. Those moves have helped keep Vegas in the championship picture, with Eichel bringing a Stanley Cup to Las Vegas and nearly winning the Conn Smythe if Jonathan Marchessault hadn’t put together such a strong playoff run.
The contrast with Detroit goes beyond trade requests and contract drama. The Red Wings are the team dealing with the turmoil; Vegas is the team still adding pieces and staying relevant. Keegan Kolesar is part of that picture now, though he was sent to Detroit over the summer because of cap space.
For the Golden Knights, the formula has remained steady: a deep forward group, a balanced blue line, and a front office willing to make bold moves. There are still questions in the mix, including the goaltending and players like Rasmus Andersson not living up to expectations, but the structure is there. That’s more than can be said for Detroit.
So when Golden Knights fans look around the league, the message is pretty simple: it could be a lot worse. And with a former captain now linked to Vegas in pursuit of another Stanley Cup, that reality feels even clearer.
In Other News...
Golden Knights Learned A Brutal Early Lesson They Must Fix Fast
A rough opening night can tell a team more than a win sometimes does, and the Golden Knights got an earful of that in a 4-3 loss to the Ducks after falling behind 4-0. Vegas eventually found its legs with a strong third-period push, but the early hole proved too deep, and Anaheim goalie Lukas Dostal held up under the late pressure with a handful of key saves. It was the kind of season opener that leaves a staff and a locker room sorting through what went wrong before the schedule has much time to breathe.
Ryan Craig and Mark Stone both framed the performance as a reminder that the Knights cannot afford to spend games chasing from behind, especially when the margin for error is so thin this early. The comeback attempt showed some resolve, but it also left a familiar question hanging over a team with higher expectations: how quickly can Vegas clean up the starts before one bad period starts costing it points it should have had? [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Loss Puts Blame Debate Right Back On Defense
Carter Harts night in the Golden Knights 4-3 loss to the Ducks was always going to draw attention, but the bigger story was how often he was left exposed. Anaheim found far too many dangerous looks, and Vegas made life tougher with breakdowns that turned routine sequences into scramble mode. When the other team is getting quality chances off odd-man rushes and giveaways, it becomes hard to pin everything on the goalie.
For Vegas, the frustration is that this felt less like one bad performance in net than a reminder of how shaky the structure can get when the puck is moving the wrong way. Hart had to deal with the kind of traffic and pressure that make saves difficult for any goalie, and the loss fit a familiar theme: defensive lapses undermining a team that should know better by now. If the Knights want to stop re-litigating blame after nights like this, the fix has to start in front of their crease. [Read more 🡒]