Golden Knights Possible 2023 Forward Lines

It was a quiet day one of the free agency period for general manager Kelly McCrimmon and the Vegas Golden Knights. It certainly was not a quiet week. Adin Hill and Ivan Barbashev received lucrative extensions. Beloved day-one misfit, Reilly Smith, was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Qualifying offers were made to Pavel Dorofeyev, Brett Howden, and Jiri Patera. Brayden Pachal also received an extension.

Now that we have an idea of what the roster will look like for the Golden Knights, let’s make a very early projection of what the forward lines will look like when the Stanley Cup banner gets raised on opening night.

Line one, Barbashev / Jack Eichel / Jonathan Marchessault. We are not going to overthink this one. Barbashev was extended to keep the deadly top line intact. It is no coincidence that Marchessault won the Conn Smythe and Eichel led all playoff scoring. Barbashev was the perfect compliment to Eichel and Marchessault.

Line two, Dorofeyev / Chandler Stephenson / Mark Stone. Dorofeyev is ready to take the next step in his career. Logging seven goals and two assists in 18 games last season, Dorofeyev offers a better scoring punch than Howden. Dorofeyev’s defensive game still needs to develop and he will be able to learn on the fly from Stephenson and Stone.

Line three, Howden / William Karlsson / Michael Amadio. Smith will be missed alongside Karlsson. Can Howden take a big enough step forward in his offensive game? Howden did log 10 points in last season’s Stanley Cup run so the potential is there.

Line four, William Carrier / Nicolas Roy / Keegan Kolesar. Similar to line one, we are not going to overthink this one. This can be one of the best fourth lines in the entire NHL.

One of the most notable training camp competitions will be between Paul Cotter and Dorofeyev. It isn’t about which player is better, it’s about how each player slots into the lineup. In a perfect world, Dorofeyev fits in better as a top-six forward and Cotter fits in better as a bottom-six forward.