The Furthest Every Member of the Golden Knights Have Made it in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (2022-23)

The Stanley Cup.

It’s the ultimate goal for all hockey players and something the Vegas Golden Knights have yet to be awarded. They have come close, but have never had their names etched onto Lord Stanley.

But some specific players in the organization have. Today we will highlight them as we look over every relevant member of the Golden Knights and detail how far they have made it in the playoffs.

We did a post back in Janurary with this exact same premise. But with a couple of notable roster shifts, it’s worth updating with new players.

Never Made the Playoffs

Jack Eichel has still never made it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. When you remember what team he played for before coming to the Golden Knights, things make a little more sense. Eichel spent six seasons in the Buffalo Sabres organization, and the highest the team ever finished with him on the roster was sixth in the Atlantic Divison. The Golden Knights and Eichel failed to make the playoffs in 2022.

With the Golden Knights missing the playoffs last season, guys who have never played for another organization such as Jonas Rondbjerg, Paul Cotter, Jake Leschyshyn, Daniil Miromanov, Pavel Dorofeyev, Logan Thompson, and Jiri Patera have all never made the Stanley Cup Playoffs as well.

Outside of Eichel, Ben Hutton and Spencer Foo are the two other players here that have played for other NHL teams. Hutton played for the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings, and Foo for the Calgary Flames, all of which never made the playoffs in the years they played for the organizations.

Qualifying Round

Due to the 2019-20 NHL season getting squeezed due to COVID-19, the qualifying round of the 2020 playoffs gets a special section. If you recall, certain teams had to play in this round to make the playoffs.

That season, Brett Howden was with the New York Rangers, who were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes.

First Round Exit

A lot of interesting matchups fall into this category. First off, the Golden Knights are responsible for ending Michael Amadio’s hopes at the Stanley Cup when they swept him and the LA Kings in 2018.

The other two names on this list were eliminated in two very notable series. First off, Nolan Patrick’s only trip to the playoffs came with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2018, who were defeated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

Newcomer Adin Hill won a playoff round with the Arizona Coyotes in 2020 as they beat the Nashville Predators in the aforementioned qualifying round. The Coyotes then lost to the Colorado Avalanche in round one. Hill did not play in any playoff games, so can technically fall into the no-experience club.

Byron Froese was also a member of the 2017 Toronto Maple Leafs, who lost to the Washington Capitals in the first round. He did not play in the playoffs for the Leafs in that series as well.

Second Round Exit

Backup goaltender currently on the mend, Laurent Brossoit, made it to game seven of the second round in 2017. He did so with the Edmonton Oilers as they lost their series to the Anaheim Ducks. Brossoit played only one game in the Oilers’ run that year, but it is better than nothing.

Although he did not get into any games, depth forward Sheldon Rempal went to the second round of the playoffs in 2021 with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Now getting into deep playoff territory. If you are keeping track, there are still plenty of names left to discuss on the Golden Knights roster. This means that most of the roster has had some substantial playoff experiences, which is a good thing.

Conference Finals Loss

A bulk of players that are on the Golden Knight’s current roster were also on the 2021 roster. That team reached the Conference Finals before losing to the Montreal Canadiens in six games. This is the furthest Robin Lehner, Nicolas Roy, Keegan Kolesar, Nicolas Hague, and Zach Whitecloud have all made it.

Captain Mark Stone was on that team as well. However, he has been to the Conference Finals twice. His other appearance was with the Ottawa Senators in 2017, where the team was eliminated by Chris Kunitz and the Pittsburgh Penguins in double overtime.

Michael Hutchinson has been around the block in the NHL and was on the Winnipeg Jets’ 2018 roster, which lost in the Western Conference Final against the Golden Knights. He did not play in any games but did make it to the second round with the Colorado Avalanche in a playing role.

It all depends on what you count.

Stanley Cup Finals Loss

A good bit of Golden Knights are here, and I think we all know why. In year one of the franchise, the Golden Knights went on a Cinderella run all the way to Game 5 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals. They eventually lost to the Washington Capitals, who won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Looking back on it, the playoffs for all of Reilly Smith, Jonathan Marchessault, Shea Theodore, William Karlsson, Brayden McNabb, and William Carrier can now be viewed as key playoff experiences as the team looks to finally clear the hurdle and win the Stanley Cup themselves.

2018 was also the furthest assistant coaches Ryan Craig and Misha Donskov, general manager Kelly McCrimmon, and even owner Bill Foley has made it. All of whom deserve credit.

If we are considering Shea Weber here, which I am, he lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021 in the Finals. New Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy also came short with the Boston Bruins in 2019.

Lastly, this one may surprise you. George McPhee was the Director of Hockey Operations for the Vancouver Canucks in 1994. They lost in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to the New York Rangers.

Stanley Cup Champions

The Golden Knights now have five members of their team who have won a Stanley Cup; four of these are players. None of them are their own, but their playoff experiences and lessons can be passed down in the locker room in hopes of everyone on the team reaching this achievement.

Alex Pietrangelo won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, Chandler Stephenson in 2018 with the Capitals, and both Phil Kessel and Alec Martinez are two-time Stanley Cup Champions; Martinez and assistant coach John Stevens with the Kings in 2012 and 2014, and Kessel with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

Not only do the Golden Knights have four players who have reached the ultimate goal, but these players are core players on the team.

These are the four players the Golden Knights want to follow this season once the season begins. These are the winners of the team. The ultimate goal of the Stanley Cup is a daunting challenge.

But having members on the team that has been to the big dance and walked away with a win should serve as motivation for the 2022-23 Vegas Golden Knights.