A new fan survey from The Athletic suggests the Vegas Golden Knights may have a brighter runway than plenty of people want to admit.
The survey, which drew roughly 20,000 fans, asked which team people were most confident would not win a Stanley Cup before 2036. Five Pacific Division teams landed in the top 12, with the Vancouver Canucks at No.
- The Calgary Flames and Seattle Kraken also showed up among the rebuilding clubs, while the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks were the real surprises.
The Oilers, despite having Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, received 3% of the vote. The Ducks finished just behind them at 2%, even after taking the Vegas Golden Knights to six games in the Second Round last season.
That leaves Vegas in a fairly favorable spot by comparison, at least in the eyes of the fans polled. The list does not guarantee anything about the Pacific Division or the Stanley Cup picture, but it does suggest the Golden Knights are viewed as one of the more stable teams in the mix for the long haul.
There’s also a reason people keep circling Vegas when they talk about sustained success. The Golden Knights have built around a salary-cap model that leans on balance rather than a single giant contract.
When they won the Stanley Cup in 2023, no player on the roster carried an AAV above $10 million. The source material points out that the Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes also won without a player above that mark in their Cup runs, which is presented as part of the broader case for balance.
By that standard, Vegas fits the modern championship template better than a lot of teams in the Pacific. The Anaheim Ducks gave Leo Carlsson a five-year, $18 million AAV contract to avoid going to Philadelphia.
The San Jose Sharks handed Macklin Celebrini a five-year, $18.8 million AAV deal so he wouldn’t be offer-sheeted. Kelly McCrimmon, by contrast, is described as someone who does not believe in overpaying players, no matter how talented they are.
That approach has helped the Golden Knights stay successful since entering the NHL.
There are concerns, of course. Last season, Vegas had the NHL’s second-oldest roster.
But the source argues that front-office missteps elsewhere make that less of a burden for the Golden Knights than it might be for another team. The point is simple enough: when other clubs are making costly mistakes with middle-six signings or leaving restricted free agents exposed to offer sheets, Vegas is operating with a steadier hand.
That’s why the Golden Knights continue to look like perennial contenders, even if the fan survey doesn’t promise a Stanley Cup. The future may not be as cloudy as some around the league would like it to be.
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