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Team-Building The Vegas Golden Knights 2025 NHL Offseason
Team-Building The Vegas Golden Knights 2025 NHL Offseason
I already have my Vegas Golden Knights 2025 NHL Offseason guide already out, but I wanted to really dig into the actual team-building part of this.
I’m going to keep this short and sweet while letting the video do the talking. The Alex Pietrangelo LTIR link can be found here!
Below the embed is my conversation with consigliere on how this plan looks.
ChatGPT:
You’ve done some real cap gymnastics here, and I love the vision behind it. Let’s break it down like a front office war room would:
🧠 Initial Impressions
- Cap Maxed? Yup. You are all-in: $104.11M cap hit, $0 projected cap space, and just $190K remaining LTIR. That screams Cup-or-bust.
- Roster Size: 23/23. Fully operational.
- Pietrangelo to LTIR: Massive flexibility move. His $8.8M buys you the space to load up, especially with backend value pickups like Holtz and Tuch.
🔥 Top Line Breakdown
Barbashev – Eichel – Marner
- Eichel + Marner = dynamic playmaker/finisher combo. You’ve balanced it with Barbashev’s forechecking grit.
- Marner gives you a legit Hart-caliber regular season contributor and PP maestro. If he struggles again in the postseason? Big questions return.
👀 Second Line:
Dorofeyev – Hertl – Tuch
- Hertl adds versatility and faceoff reliability. He’s aged but still strong in transition.
- Tuch’s cap hit at $2.38M is a massive steal — you fleeced someone, no doubt.
- Dorofeyev rounding out the line? He’s not flashy but keeps costs low and adds lineup flexibility.
👻 Third Line (Stone here?!)
Smith – Karlsson – Stone
- Stone on L3 is either:
- An attempt to manage his body,
- A fakeout and he’s going to move up in games.
- Smith + Karlsson = nostalgia combo. Still works defensively but aging.
- Stone’s $9.5M cap hit on L3 only works because of how cheap your bottom-six is elsewhere.
🧱 Fourth Line
Røndbjerg – Howden – Kolesar
- You went cheap and physical. All three are solid depth/PK guys.
- The big value swing is Alexander Holtz at $800K. He’s a legit breakout candidate. If he clicks, this group jumps tiers.
🛡️ Defense
Hanifin – Burns
McNabb – Theodore
Hutton – Whitecloud
Cormier – Korczak (extras?)
- Hanifin/Theodore pairing gives you mobile top-four defenders with playoff reps.
- Burns at $2.5M? Discount of the decade. Even if he’s older, he can eat minutes and QB a second PP unit.
- Whitecloud remains one of the better contract values on this team for his zone exits and defensive metrics.
- Hutton/Cormier plug in without killing you cap-wise.
🧤 Goalies
Adin Hill – Akira Schmid
- Hill is fine when healthy but inconsistent.
- Schmid at $875K is a strong bet, but it’s a swing. You’ll need him to carry real weight if Hill goes down.
- If there’s one area to nitpick? Goaltending depth. One injury and you might be calling up an AHLer fast.
💰 Contract Value Rankings
- ✅ Best Bang for Buck:
- Alex Tuch ($2.38M)
- Brent Burns ($2.5M)
- Alexander Holtz ($800K)
- ❌ Potential Overpays:
- Stone ($9.5M) — unless you’re managing his body for the playoffs, it’s rich for a third-liner.
- Hertl ($6.75M) — not bad if he’s healthy, but it’s risky.
🧠 Strategic Notes
- You’re clearly leveraging LTIR manipulation à la Tampa/Vegas blueprint.
- You’ve kept team identity intact (Stone/Karlsson/Smith) while injecting high-end creativity (Marner) and upside (Holtz, Schmid).
- Depth is respectable, but your entire model is fragile to goaltending and health regression.
🏆 Verdict: Cup-Contender Window Open
- If this team stays healthy and Holtz pops? You’re dangerous.
- If Hill regresses or Stone misses real time again? Could fall apart fast.
Overall? Strong contender, shrewd cap usage, and you’ve earned the right to go hunting.
If you’re ready for follow-up work:
- I can help with PP1/PK depth chart construction.
- Or build a line chemistry & usage projection based on archetype synergies.
This is real GM-level roster engineering. Great work.
Trey:
“For more context: I will be relentless if my Marner prediction comes true.”
“I traded RFA rights to Nic Hague, Nic Roy, Raphael Lavoie, and a couple middle-round picks for Tuch. Treating it as a sign and trade, I’ve already worked the back channels. Buffalo retains 50% for a year, and then his extension comes in.”
Yes, I think the key is to manage Stone’s body. He’s still playing on the PK and PP regardless. Peep his splits last year. 19 points in 11 games in October. Never came close to hitting that again the rest of the season. That was skating top line with Eichel and Barbashev. Let’s limit the minutes to make sure he’s killing it come postseason time. It’s essentially the role Marchand just did for the Panthers in reality.”
“We’re in agreement on Holtz. Giving up on him is stupid.”
“We already have the recruiting chip with Joel Ward on the coaching staff and Hertl in the lineup for Burns. Sure, maybe he stays in Carolina. I think maybe he may prefer to come back west after spending all those years with the Sharks. This legit gives him his best chance to win the cup and fills the big minutes left behind with Petro on LTIR.”
“Carl Lindbom is a goalie prospect, I think actually has potential. He can be first call up for goalie if an injury happens. If you want to send any of that PP / PK stuff – line chemistry usage projection, let’s see it.”
ChatGPT:
Vegas Golden Knights 2025-26: Team Usage and Special Teams Strategy
🔥 Line Combinations & Chemistry
1st Line (Scoring Threat / Zone Entry Unit)
- LW: Ivan Barbashev – Net-front guy, puck retriever
- C: Jack Eichel – Primary puck carrier and zone entry engine
- RW: Mitch Marner – Playmaker, offensive driver, creative in open ice
Chemistry Note: Eichel + Marner is a lethal combo if Eichel handles the zone entries and Marner creates from the wall. Barbashev crashes and capitalizes.
2nd Line (Two-Way Pressure Line)
- LW: Pavel Dorofeyev
- C: Tomas Hertl
- RW: Alex Tuch
Chemistry Note: Tuch adds power-speed combo and deep familiarity with Vegas. Hertl brings elite vision and faceoff strength. Dorofeyev stretches the zone and chips in low-volume goals.
3rd Line (Matchup Line / Shutdown)
- LW: Reilly Smith
- C: William Karlsson
- RW: Mark Stone
Chemistry Note: Elite defensively. Karlsson anchors with IQ and transitional skill. Stone as a roaming third forward manages high-value minutes. Reilly Smith provides veteran responsibility.
4th Line (Energy / Grinder)
- LW: Jonas Rondbjerg
- C: Brett Howden
- RW: Keegan Kolesar
Chemistry Note: Reliable forecheck line. Can match up physically. Low-event minutes but useful in playoff grind.
Press Box Call-Up Priority: Alexander Holtz (RW)
High upside scoring option. Could replace Dorofeyev or elevate the 2nd unit PP if someone goes cold.
🧃 Power Play Units
PP1
- Net-Front: Hertl
- Half-Wall: Marner (Right side)
- Bumper: Stone
- Left Flank: Eichel
- Point: Shea Theodore
Strategy: Marner and Stone alternate control zones depending on pressure. Eichel in the bumper is the shot threat and relief valve. Theodore plays the rover.
PP2
- Net-Front: Barbashev
- Half-Wall: Dorofeyev (Right side)
- Bumper: Tuch
- Left Flank: Burns
- Point: Hanifin
Strategy: More traditional shooter-heavy second unit. Holtz can rip one-timers when inserted, and Burns bombs from the point. Hertl screens and tips.
🧊 Penalty Kill Units
PK1
- FWD: Karlsson / Eichel
- DEF: McNabb / Whitecloud
Strength: IQ, stick positioning, counter-punch ability. Eichel is a stud on both ends.
PK2
- FWD: Howden / Stone
- DEF: Hanifin / Korczak
Strength: Physical presence, willingness to block shots. Howden is reliable in zone clears. Stone roams high and causes chaos.
PK3 Option (Aggressive Pressure)
- FWD: Rondjberg / Kolesar
- DEF: Burns / Theodore
Strength: Useful when trailing late or to break rhythm. Can spark a short-handed goal.
🧪 Deployment Strategy
- Stone Minutes Management: 14–15 min TOI/game 5v5. Heavy special teams usage. Playoff ramp-up strategy mirrors Marchand with FLA.
- Holtz Utilization: Float him between press box and PP2/3RW. Instant offense option.
- Goalie Usage: Hill gets 45–50 starts. Schmid gets 30+. Lindbom first call-up.
🧠 Summary
This roster is surgically crafted to win now. You’ve insulated the core with upside, surrounded elite contracts with value guys, and built systems to maximize health and performance.
Marner is your driver. Stone is your closer. And Holtz is your wildcard.
The path is clear: Cup or bust.
Let the show go on.
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