2023 Fantasy Hockey Team Previews: Vegas Golden Knights
The 2023 DailyFaceoff Fantasy Hockey Projections has projected stats for over 650 skaters and goalies.
The Fantasy Hockey Team Previews have all the projections for that team and mini-bios for all the Re-Draft and Dynasty relevant skaters and goalies.
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Skaters
Mark Stone
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 75.9 | 24.2 | 47.9 | 72.1 | 9.2 | 28.9 | 7.4 | 20.1 | 154.7 | 15.6% | 18.9 | 21.3 | 49.2 | 47.5 |
Stone’s 2021-22 was mired by injuries as the 30-year-old missed more games (45) than he played (37). Last season can be completely written off, as he consistently produced 25-to-30 goals and 40-plus assists for seven seasons prior. Stone is an elite two-way winger, but his actual hockey ability doesn’t translate to fantasy. He’s a sturdy floor, limited upside pick that often gets drafted earlier than he should due to his name value. He’s locked into a top-6 role and could see time on Jack Eichel’s line, which could help produce his second 30-goal, 70-point season. But draft him with the expectation of 25 goals and 40 assists.
Jack Eichel
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 74.7 | 29.0 | 38.9 | 67.9 | 7.6 | 26.9 | 8.3 | 24.5 | 262.7 | 11.0% | 20.6 | 537.2 | 60.3 | 74.9 |
Eichel’s 2021-22 inaugural season in Vegas got off to a rocky start as he returned from neck surgery after nearly a year’s absence posting his worst points-per-game totals since his rookie year seven seasons ago. The Golden Knights acquired Eichel from Buffalo last November, and he made his debut mid-February. Unfortunately, his Vegas career got off to a rocky start as he posted his worst points-per-game totals since his rookie year. Still, there were positive signs, he was on pace for 320 shots in a full 82-game season, and that volume will lead to a 30-goal season in 2022-23. The 25-year-old enters 2022-23 fully healthy and looking to surpass 80 games played for the first time since his rookie season in 2015-16. Even while not at 100 percent, he averaged 24 goals and 40 assists per 82 games over the last two seasons. His floor is excellent, and he has 30-plus goal and point-per-game upside in the fourth round.
Jonathan Marchessault
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 78.5 | 28.0 | 35.3 | 63.3 | 7.3 | 38.9 | 5.5 | 15.3 | 257.3 | 10.9% | 17.6 | 51.9 | 17.9 | 71.9 |
Marchessault led the injury-riddled Golden Knights in goals (30), points (66), and power-play points (20), posting a 30/30 season for the first time in his nine-year NHL career. Putting up 230+ shots (251) for the fourth time in his career, Marchessault landed 24th in the league in SOG. Adding Phil Kessel in the offseason could hold Marchessault back from seeing substantial time with Jack Eichel, but he’s done most of his damage in recent years on the second line anyways. It doesn’t seem like he has league-winning upside, but he’s typically a reliable source of 25-plus goals and 35-plus assists. He’s a quality selection to fill a wing spot on your roster in the middle round.
Chandler Stephenson
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 78.1 | 19.7 | 35.7 | 55.5 | 6.3 | 28.6 | 4.9 | 11.7 | 120.7 | 16.4% | 18.3 | 575.2 | 44.3 | 64.6 |
Stephenson broke out in a big way in 2021-22, nearly doubling his previous career high in points (64) while finishing second on the Golden Knights in scoring. He finished 67th in league scoring, partly due to his phenomenal start to the season, which saw him collect 29 points (9G / 20A) in his first 27 games. His 14 power-play points helped add to his totals after having only seven total career PPP in 260 games before 2021-22. There may not be a player in fantasy whose value is more directly tied to his linemates. Early in camp, he’s centring the second line with Mark Stone and Jonathan Marchessault, a spot that could help him earn fantasy relevance. However, he’s probably best left to the waiver wire in standard-size leagues and a late-round roster filler in deep leagues.
Shea Theodore
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 80.1 | 12.9 | 40.3 | 53.2 | 12.3 | 25.5 | 1.1 | 15.2 | 224.4 | 5.7% | 22.9 | 0.0 | 88.3 | 38.5 |
Posting double-digit goals (14) for the third time in four seasons, Theodore has quietly established himself as a top fantasy-producing defenseman as he ranks ninth among all defenders in both goals (47) and points (177) in the last four NHL seasons. In 2021-22, he finished the year seventh in goals (14), 14th in points (52), fourth in game-winning-goals (5), and eighth in shots (205) among defensemen. Another strong 15-goal, 55-point season should be expected from the 27-year-old. You can draft him confidently as your second defenseman, as he has been a model of consistency these last few seasons.
Alex Pietrangelo
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 76.5 | 13.3 | 30.8 | 44.1 | 9.8 | 33.1 | 2.4 | 12.2 | 222.2 | 6.0% | 24.7 | 0.0 | 140.3 | 61.1 |
Finishing above ten goals (13) and 28 assists (31) for the fifth time in the last six seasons, Pietrangelo enjoyed a solid 2021-22 as Vegas’ second most productive defenseman. Pietrangelo shoots the puck a ton as his 227 SOG placed him third in the NHL among defensemen, leading to him ranking ninth in goals (13). In his last eight full seasons, Pietrangelo’s production has only dipped below 40 points once, proving how efficient the Canadian defenseman has been for nearly a decade. A similar 13-goal, 30 assist season like we saw in 2021-22 is projected as he’ll battle with Theodore for top power-play usage. Draft Pietrangelo confidently as your team’s No.2 defensemen.
Phil Kessel
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 82.0 | 14.2 | 35.1 | 49.3 | 4.9 | 28.9 | 4.5 | 14.4 | 162.7 | 8.7% | 16 | 3.1 | 18.7 | 11.1 |
Kessel joins the Golden Knights a year after finishing above 50 points (52) for the 12th time in his career. His eight goals and 4.6 SH% were career lows, while his 44 assists were his most since 2018-19. The current active holder of the NHL’s ironman streak, Kessel is just eight games away from passing Keith Yandle’s record of 990 straight NHL games. Kessel could be a great late-round flier if he finds himself on a line with Eichel to start his Golden Knights career. 2022-23 could be a return to fantasy relevance for Phil, who averaged just 17 goals and 36 assists (53 points) per 82 games during his three seasons in Arizona.
Reilly Smith
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 73.0 | 21.2 | 24.2 | 45.4 | 7.5 | 17.6 | 3.8 | 7.1 | 177.2 | 12.0% | 17.7 | 3.1 | 28.7 | 63.4 |
Smith registered at least 53 points from 2019-to-2020 but has averaged just 48 points (23G / 25A) per 82 games over the last few seasons. Smith has always been on the cusp of fantasy relevancy, rarely playing on the top line or top power-play unit. His shot volume ranks outside the top 100 in the NHL over the last three seasons, capping his goal upside. With a new head coach in town (Bruce Cassidy), Smith has opened camp with Eichel and Kessel, so he could be worth a flier in the final round if that sticks.
William Karlsson
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 74.9 | 15.9 | 29.5 | 45.5 | 8.1 | 11.5 | 1.8 | 7.7 | 149.6 | 10.7% | 18.3 | 595.5 | 42.9 | 44.5 |
Nicknamed Wild Bull, Karlsson has yet to enjoy success anywhere close to his inaugural 78-point Vegas campaign (2017-18) as he has watched his numbers steadily decline every season for the last five years. 2020-21 was no different as Karlsson posted his lowest goal (12), assists (23), and point (35) totals since joining the Golden Knights. Mired by an 8.9 SH%, Karlsson ended the season ninth in team points, leaving him off almost all fantasy radars. With Cassidy behind the bench, Karlsson has found himself skating on the third line with Brett Howden and Mike Amado early on, so look elsewhere on draft day.
Goalies
Logan Thompson
| GS | W | L | T/O | SV% | GAA | SO |
| 36.0 | 19.4 | 12.6 | 4.0 | 0.908 | 2.73 | 2.1 |
When it was announced that Robin Lehner would be missing the entire 2022-23 season due to hip surgery, the Golden Knights’ No.1 job was entirely up for grabs. After Marc-Andre Fleury was dealt at the 2021-22 deadline and Lehner was in and out of the lineup, Thompson was used heavily after March 1st. He was tied for 25th in games started (15), was 22nd in GAA (2.75) and tied for 19th in SV% (.911) over that stretch. Thompson will likely lead Vegas’ crease with Laurent Brossoit rehabbing to start the season and only Adin Hill behind him. There’s some uncertainty while targeting the Golden Knights crease, but we saw enough from Thompson last year to at least expect him to split starts evenly until Brossoit is back. Thompson is currently being drafted as the No.21 netminder, so ideally, you want to land him as your No.3 option.
Adin Hill
| GS | W | L | T/O | SV% | GAA | SO |
| 25.0 | 13.5 | 8.7 | 2.8 | 0.904 | 2.76 | 2.1 |
Hill was traded from the Sharks in the off-season for a player and a second-round pick. The 26-year-old leaves the Sharks after just one season, which saw him struggle in SV% (.906) while placing 19th among all goalies in GAA (2.66) and winning ten games through a career-high 25 total games played. While Brossoit is out, Hill could carve out a decent role for a few months. He’ll be a decent spot-start option throughout the season but shouldn’t occupy a permanent spot on your roster unless he cements himself as the Golden Knights’ No.1 goalie.
Remaining Golden Knights Projections
| Player | Yahoo | GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| Nicolas Roy | C/RW | 77.0 | 13.8 | 20.8 | 34.6 | 5.0 | 39.5 | 1.7 | 4.3 | 128.7 | 10.7% | 15.6 | 392.8 | 34.1 | 87.4 |
| Alec Martinez | D | 68.4 | 8.0 | 19.5 | 27.5 | 10.9 | 16.1 | 1.6 | 4.9 | 88.6 | 9.0% | 19.5 | 0.0 | 168.9 | 58.1 |
| Nicolas Hague | D | 74.7 | 6.0 | 17.3 | 23.3 | 8.9 | 54.6 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 148.1 | 4.1% | 18.8 | 0.0 | 107.1 | 118.4 |
| Keegan Kolesar | C/RW | 73.6 | 6.4 | 16.0 | 22.4 | -3.9 | 63.4 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 87.5 | 7.3% | 11.9 | 79.7 | 37.8 | 211.4 |
| Will Carrier | LW | 74.9 | 9.5 | 12.8 | 22.3 | 3.8 | 34.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 120.8 | 7.8% | 11.1 | 5.7 | 22.9 | 194.5 |
| Zach Whitecloud | D | 73.5 | 6.9 | 14.1 | 21.1 | 9.8 | 39.7 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 102.3 | 6.8% | 18.6 | 0.0 | 126.1 | 118.8 |
| Brett Howden | C/LW | 69.7 | 8.3 | 12.3 | 20.6 | 1.5 | 20.0 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 59.7 | 14.0% | 11.5 | 211.9 | 52.7 | 81.5 |
| Brayden McNabb | D | 73.3 | 3.0 | 12.1 | 15.1 | 6.9 | 39.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 80.0 | 3.8% | 19.3 | 0.0 | 154.5 | 163.5 |