Golden Knights fall short in Stanley Cup Final but prove their window is still open

LAS VEGAS – For the third time in nine seasons, the Stanley Cup was hoisted inside T-Mobile Arena. For the second time, it was awarded to the visiting team.

The Carolina Hurricanes’ stifling defense that has defined them for close to a decade finally made an appearance in the Cup Final, suffocating the Golden Knights en route to a 2-0 victory, and their first championship in 20 years.

The game marked the end of another improbable run for a franchise that has already experienced plenty in its short existence. For a Golden Knights team that enters every season carrying the weight of championship expectations, this postseason felt like a rare reprieve.

Vegas’ unrelenting win-now mentality has led to unmatched success on the ice, with the most postseason wins in the NHL since 2017. The willingness to make bold moves in a constant pursuit of improvement is appealing to players, who clearly see Las Vegas as a destination, but the championship-or-bust standard can also be burdensome at times. There’s a palpable tension around the team when it isn’t winning, and every player knows that if they’re underperforming, the next move could be their last with the organization.

That pressure was evident at different stretches throughout a regular season that teetered between disappointment and disaster. The team looked gun-shy and hesitant, and it eventually cost coach Bruce Cassidy his job. After the coaching change, the tension evaporated.

John Tortorella’s tenure began with a couple of easy wins, which stretched the team’s lead atop the lowly Pacific Division and solidified its playoff standing. The Golden Knights went from looking destined for a lost season to staring at a manageable path to the conference finals.

Suddenly, it felt like they were playing with house money.

The result was a loose, confident team that finally played up to its potential. Mitch Marner exorcised his playoff demons to a degree no one saw coming. Brett Howden went on a heater of a lifetime. Shea Theodore blossomed in the role of the undisputed No. 1 defenseman. Tomas Hertl started collecting Pokemon cards and snapped out of a career-long drought just in time to fuel an unprecedented sweep of the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche.

It was an incredible run by all standards, but it fell just short of a second championship in four years. It leaves the Golden Knights in an interesting spot looking forward.

They’ll need to navigate contract extensions for pending UFA Rasmus Andersson and RFA Pavel Dorofeyev in the next couple of weeks, but outside of that, the core is locked up for the foreseeable future. Jack Eichel’s eight-year extension kicks in next season and runs through 2034. Marner is signed through 2033, and Noah Hanifin and Theodore are both signed through 2032.

Even the way that dynamic is viewed has shifted dramatically over the last couple of months. When Vegas was sputtering in late March, with the 19th-best record in the NHL, the fact that its core was signed long-term, with little cap space to maneuver, could’ve been easily viewed as a detriment. Not only were the Golden Knights not as good as they needed to be, but the roster construction offered no easy route for seismic change.

Now, after a long playoff run that showed they can compete with the best teams in the league, those contracts feel like a solid foundation for a few more chances in this championship window. The question is: which version of the Golden Knights is more likely to show up in the future?

It’s easy to say that it’s the more recent version: the one that ran through the Western Conference playoff bracket and had Carolina on the ropes early in the Cup Final. But that’s recency bias at work, and we have an 82-game sample size with more losses than wins that directly preceded it.

As it usually is, the truth likely falls somewhere in the middle. This team was clearly better than its subpar regular season. It was also running incredibly hot in the playoffs, getting goals and saves from unlikely sources at the most crucial of times. The reality is that this team is incredibly talented, but getting back to this stage for another crack at it won’t be easy.

They’ll have to make some tough decisions this offseason. Adin Hill is only one year into his six-year contract, but will almost certainly be moved this summer to clear cap space. There’s also the potential of a trade for Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, who has Vegas on his short list of preferred destinations, according to what league sources told The Athletic.

And then there’s Tortorella, whose presence is tied closest to Vegas’ flip from disappointment to contender.

Bringing the veteran coach on board with only eight games left in the regular season was a bold move, and it worked better than anyone could’ve imagined. From the moment he arrived, and every moment along the way, Tortorella has portrayed himself as less of a permanent fix and more of a gentle nudge in the right direction.

Bringing the veteran coach aboard with only eight games remaining in the regular season was a bold move, and it worked better than anyone could have imagined. From the day he arrived, Tortorella has portrayed himself not as the architect of the turnaround, but as a steady hand helping guide the team back on course. His contract was only through the remainder of this season, and he has expressed gratitude for the chance to take this ride with these players at every opportunity.

So do the Golden Knights bring Tortorella back?

On the surface, it seems obvious. The team went 21-9 under him, and came within two wins of a title, but there’s also a feeling that this was always going to be just a rental, and that was part of the magic of it. Tortorella showed a different side during his short tenure with Vegas. He was a self-proclaimed guidance counsellor who “coached with his players, and not at them,” and left many of Cassidy’s systems untouched.

Tortorella said on multiple occasions that coaching in the playoffs is very different from coaching during the regular season, and it’s fair to wonder if his hands-off approach can work as well long term. The results so far have been exemplary, so no one would fault Vegas for wanting to find out.

If Tortorella was always intended to be a short-term spark plug to get the most out of this particular team, the Golden Knights have another monumental decision on their plate this summer. There are no elite coaching options on the market right now, but there’s Henderson Silver Knights coach Ryan Craig, who has been treated like the eventual heir apparent for years.

Craig was a part of the Golden Knights’ staff from Day 1. He was the only assistant coach to survive three regime changes, from Gerard Gallant, to Peter DeBoer, to Cassidy. He spent six seasons behind the Vegas bench before heading to the AHL for head-coaching experience. Now, after three seasons as the bench boss for the Silver Knights, and having led them to their first playoff appearance in four years, this could be as good a time as any to finally award him the final promotion.

It would be a unique hire in the context of Vegas’ history. Gallant, DeBoer, Cassidy and Tortorella all brought the track records and cachet to command a star-studded dressing room. Craig would be a first-time NHL coach, but he knows these players well and lifted the Cup with many of them in 2023.

Regardless of who’s behind the bench, this is a supremely talented team with its core locked up long-term. As it eventually does for all contenders, the age of the roster is becoming a concern.

Eichel will be 30 in October, and Marner is 29. Both appear to have plenty of elite hockey left in them, but the second wave of stars is much older. Stone and Karlsson are 34 and 33, respectively, and have dealt with a slew of injuries. Hertl will be 33 in November. The big three on the blue line — Theodore, Hanifin and Andersson — are all right around 30, but Brayden McNabb is 35.

They’re not aging out by any means, but it’s fair to assume an age-related dropoff from one or more of the key pieces, and there aren’t many reinforcements coming up through the ranks.

Trevor Connelly, a first-round pick in 2024, registered 49 points in 46 games in the AHL as a rookie this year, but could be another year away from being a true factor in the NHL. Braeden Bowman broke into the NHL with a surprising eight-goal campaign, but the undrafted winger would need to take a major leap to become a top-six fixture. Goaltender Carl Lindbom had another sensational year with the Silver Knights, and could be knocking on the NHL door in fall camp. Outside of that, there aren’t many prospects looking ready to make the leap.

The Golden Knights will undoubtedly acquire help through trades and free agent signings, but after sending nearly an entire draft class away in trades this season, the cupboard is nearing bare. They don’t have a first-round pick until 2028, and have only one second-round pick in the next four drafts.

This run to the Stanley Cup Final proved the Golden Knights still have a championship-caliber core, but a pivotal offseason now awaits to determine how long it stays that way.