The Golden Knights don’t have much room for passengers this preseason, and that puts a few roster hopefuls directly under the microscope.
Alexander Holtz is the most obvious name on that list. Vegas brought in the winger from the New Jersey Devils with real buzz after he scored 16 goals before the trade, but the production hasn’t followed him to Las Vegas.
Over two seasons with the Golden Knights, Holtz has just seven goals and 14 assists. That goal total is less than half of what he posted in 2023-24, and if he doesn’t show some life in the preseason, he could be pushed out of the forward group again after losing his spot in 2024-25.
Braeden Bowman is in a different spot, but the pressure is still there. The undrafted rookie put together a strong season last year, finishing with eight goals and 18 assists in 54 games.
For a player in his early 20’s, that kind of production was enough to earn a real look, and now he heads into preseason with eyes on him and a projected place in the team’s 12-forward group. The question is whether he can carry that momentum into 2026-27.
Parker Wotherspoon rounds out the group, and his case comes down to one number: 27 assists last season. For a defenseman, that’s a hefty total, especially when 15 of those were secondary assists.
That makes a drop-off feel likely, which is exactly why he has to prove he can hold up in preseason. If not, his time in Las Vegas could be short, and his $500,000 cap hit would be easy to move on from.
In Other News...
Golden Knights Just Opened The Door To A Bigger Deadline Swing
The Golden Knights have already started shaping their next deadline before the season even gets there, moving Pavel Dorofeyev to the Rangers for draft picks and, more importantly, creating a little more breathing room in future salary-cap planning. For a team that has never been shy about pushing chips in when the moment calls for it, the move is less about the player they gave up than the flexibility it buys if Vegas decides it wants to strike again when the market heats up.
That kind of maneuvering keeps the focus on where the next upgrade might come from, and the early list is the usual mix of clubs that could be forced to rethink their direction if things go sideways. Detroit, Winnipeg and Columbus all stand out as potential sources if their seasons sour, which is exactly the sort of backdrop that can turn a patient front office into an aggressive one. Vegas does not need to make a splash now, but this trade suggests the door is open for something bigger when the deadline picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]