Chandler Stephenson Needs A Contract Extension ASAP
Does Kelly McCrimmon get how valuable Chandler Stephenson is? Good general managers get contract extensions done early and never late. The Golden Knights are tops in the West and really have a shot to actually win the Stanley Cup. I just hope they know that if Stephenson leaves the building, the window officially closes.
I don’t think people understand how important Stephenson is to this VGK team. Then again, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Dummy Sean Allen thought Phil Kessel was better than him but we already know that ESPN lives in Looney Tunes land.
Stephenson, 28, continues to get better and better each and every season. He’s always had that pure speed but the skill continues to shoot to the moon. His 36 points in 37 games leads the team. On the season, Stephenson also a 54.8 CF%. Oh, and he’s winning 61.4 percent of his faceoffs too.
That last number right there has spiked for one under the radar reason that no one understands unless they’re watching the game right now. The Jack Eichel / Stephenson duo has some serious magic to it. It’s a move that has allowed Stephenson to only take draws on his strong side and the results do not lie.
It’s been the difference between keeping that extra possession or two on the powerplay that leads to a game winning goal. The people that watch the games are understanding it. The numbers bear it out too. VGK are 7th in powerplay percentage this year (26.7% conversation rate). A year ago they were the 8th worst team in the NHL (18.6%). A lot of that has to do with Stephenson winning those draws to begin that possession.
Did you see what he did against St. Louis the other night?
This is your championship window. It’s probably the best bargain in the league right now to have Stephenson on an AAV of $2.75 million. They should also recognize there is no window if this guy isn’t on your team anymore. Better extend him now before the price goes zoom zoom. Is Kelly McCrimmon smart enough to do so?
Don’t wait another second. Get it done. Think about what just happened. You lost Max Pacioretty for nothing and got better by simply inserting an internal option as the first line left winger. Don’t take that for granted. Recognize that it’s happening and make sure you don’t lose it. In fact, I’d say it’s the only reason why Vegas is the number one seed in the Western Conference if the season were to end today.
