Jack Eichel keeps showing up in the same conversation for the Vegas Golden Knights: the one about who finally gets the franchise over 100 points in a season.
That was the angle BarDown pushed into the spotlight on Saturday, when it asked on Twitter which NHL player would be the first to cross the century mark in points this season. Eichel was one of the names in the mix, and it makes sense why. He set a career high with 94 points in 2024-25, and he has already put together back-to-back seasons with 90 or more points.
For Vegas, though, the number still has a stubborn way of hanging around. The Golden Knights have never had a player reach 100 points in a single season - not Eichel, not Mark Stone, not even Mitch Marner. Marner doesn’t belong on BarDown’s list for a simple reason: he already topped 100 points in 2024-25, finishing with 27 goals and 75 assists for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
That leaves Eichel as the most obvious candidate, and the numbers explain why. His point totals have climbed in recent seasons, and so has his ice time. Here’s how his Golden Knights run has looked:
2021-22: 34 games, 14 goals, 11 assists, 11.2 expected goals, 25 points, 0.74 points per game
2022-23: 67 games, 27 goals, 39 assists, 20.7 expected goals, 66 points, 0.99 points per game
2023-24: 63 games, 31 goals, 37 assists, 25.5 expected goals, 68 points, 1.08 points per game
2024-25: 77 games, 28 goals, 66 assists, 26.3 expected goals, 94 points, 1.22 points per game
2025-26: 74 games, 27 goals, 63 assists, 25.3 expected goals, 90 points, 1.22 points per game
What stands out most is that even when the raw point total dipped in 2025-26, Eichel’s production rate stayed locked in at 1.22 points per game. He scored fewer points than the season before, but he also played three fewer games, which gave him more time to rest.
That’s the key to the whole discussion. A healthy Eichel has the kind of offensive profile that can blow past 100 points. He has the weapons around him to do it, too, with Stone among the names that come to mind.
Health is the obvious variable, and it matters here more than anywhere else. Eichel had artificial disc replacement surgery before he ever took the ice for the Golden Knights, so staying on the ice is part of the equation. If he gets hurt again, the production and the team both take a hit.
The flip side is that the schedule now gives him two extra games, which matters in a chase like this. Those extra chances could be enough to push him over the line. In fact, if Eichel had managed six more points in 2024-25, he would have reached 100 with ease.
The math says the milestone is there for him if he stays available. At his 1.22 points-per-game pace, an 84-game season would project to 102.48 points. Even if he missed two games and played 82, he’d still land at 100.04.
So the path is clear: if Eichel stays healthy and keeps producing at the rate he’s shown, the century mark is right there. And if he gets there, it would mean a career milestone for him and a first for the Golden Knights.
In Other News...
Golden Knights Coaching History Makes This Hire Feel Bigger
The Golden Knights have never treated the coaching chair like a place for long-term patience, and Ryan Craig is stepping into a job that carries plenty of that history with it. Vegas moved on from interim head coach John Tortorella after 30 games, the shortest stint in franchise history, and turned to a familiar face in Craig, who previously worked as an assistant on the staff and now gets his first shot at running the bench.
It is a position shaped by the expectations created under Gerard Gallant, Peter DeBoer and Bruce Cassidy, all of whom brought different results but also reinforced how quickly the standard in Vegas can shift. Craig inherits a team that has seen coaching changes tied directly to playoff pressure and regular-season urgency, which makes this hire feel less like a routine promotion and more like the latest test of how much stability the Golden Knights can actually find behind the bench. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Stone Puts Vegas In A Tough Spot Again This Season
Mark Stone has been one of the defining players of the Golden Knights era, and last season only reinforced how much Vegas leans on him when he is available. He put up a career-high rate of offense, giving the club another reminder of how much value he brings beyond the usual power-play work and two-way detail that have long made him such a central piece of the roster.
The harder part for Vegas is the same one it has had to manage before: Stones production is always tied to how much time he can spend in the lineup. With 2026-27 still on the horizon, the bigger question is not whether his skill still plays, but how many games he can log and how changing personnel around him might affect the role he fills. For a team built to chase now, that uncertainty is a familiar and uncomfortable spot. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Have 3 Prospects Facing A Huge Weekend
The Rookie Faceoff arrives this weekend in Vegas, and it gives the Golden Knights a useful early look at a few prospects who are trying to turn promise into a real path upward. Bronson Ride, Mathieu Cataford and Trent Swick are among the names to watch, with each player carrying a different blend of recent performance, size and upside as the organization starts sorting out who might be ready for bigger minutes in Henderson.
For all three, the stakes go beyond a good showing in a prospect tournament. A strong weekend can help strengthen their case for a role with the Henderson Silver Knights, which is often the next proving ground before NHL consideration becomes realistic. The Golden Knights do not need every young player to arrive at once, but they do need a few to start separating themselves, and this event is one of the first chances to do it. [Read more 🡒]