Golden Knights Missing Net-Front Presence, Could They Trade For One?

The Vegas Golden Knights have slowly filled some of the gaps created by the loss of captain Mark Stone. The team is playing strong defensively, is getting scoring from up and down the lineup, and has seen some star players break out of scoring slumps.

But one area in which the Golden Knights still miss Stone is on the powerplay.

The Golden Knights are 0 for their last 24 on the powerplay and went 0-for-7 against the San Jose Sharks Thursday night. The Golden Knights have not scored a goal on the man advantage since Jan. 22nd against the Arizona Coyotes.

“I don’t think the pace of our powerplay is where it needs to be, quite frankly. In the zone, we hold pucks for too long, and it allows teams to rest and recover. We are at our best when we have a  play to the net and good puck recovery,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy.

Urgency, forcing skilled plays, and the opposing team's penalty kills are all contributing to the lack of VGK powerplay goals. But another critical element is their lack of a net-front presence, something that Stone provided in his time on the powerplay.

"There are some low plays that I think we don't do enough of. Obviously, missing Mark Stone; he was really good at that. You can't get away from it; there are other players that can still execute some of those low plays," said Cassidy.

Coach Cassidy has tried with Reilly Smith and Nicolas Roy, but things currently aren't working. The Golden Knights are lacking a physical presence in front of the net on the powerplay, someone who can jam in dirty goals after taking a whack or two.

"I think you have to take away the vision of the goalie. That's the first thing when they are shooting, right? If he doesn't see it, it could be a goal. Some guys are really good at tipping pucks like (Joe) Pavelski in Dallas; he has scored so many goals in his career that way," said Nicolas Roy.

At five-on-five, Cassidy has his current line combinations set up so that each line has a net-front presence. He currently has Will Carrier on the third line, Paul Cotter on the first line, Nicolas Roy on the fourth line, and also Michael Amadio. However, Cassidy admits Amadio's net-front game is a work in progress.

"Jordan Staal, when I was in Carolina, was a big body, so strong and always there in the paint. Every goal he scores is in front of the net. You look at a guy like Mark Stone, and he is unbelievable. He is making plays in front of the net and is doing every little detail good," said Roy.

With the NHL Trade Deadline just two weeks away, and Stone not coming back any time soon, the Golden Knights could trade for a net-front presence at the deadline. Guys like Staal and Pavelski won't be available, but hard-nosed players like Noel Acciari, Max Domi, and Sam Lafferty could be options.

For all of Vegas Hockey Now's trade deadline content, check out our trade roundup page, where we discuss these options.

Converting or even acquiring them converting players into net-front guys should significantly improve the Golden Knight's powerplay and overall game.

"I think you can always get better at it. Some guys can always get better at tipping pucks, but a lot of guys, even if they were to work 10 hours a day on tipping pucks, they wouldn't get as good as someone like Pavelski. But there are definitely drills you can do to see if you are really in the lanes," said Roy.

The Golden Knights will play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. from T-Mobile Arena.