Daily Nuggets: Golden Knights’ Masterton Nominee, Connelly’s Successful Debut; Landeskog’s Return

Good morning, folks. The Vegas Golden Knights are in action on Thursday at home against their Expansion Draft rival, the Seattle Kraken. Should all go well, the Golden Knights could have the Pacific Division wrapped up by the night’s end. Trevor Connelly made his AHL debut with the Henderson Silver Knights, and Tomáš Hertl is the Golden Knights’ nominee for the Masterton Trophy.

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog eyes a return to professional hockey. Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, and Joel Eriksson Ek returned from injury on Wednesday for their respective teams. Elliotte Friedman shared his Written 32 Thoughts, and the hockey world mourns another legend.

Golden Knights News

On Wednesday, teams announced their nominees for the 2025 Bill Masterton Trophy. The Las Vegas Chapter of the PHWA nominated Tomáš Hertl.

It’s an important day in the race for the Pacific Division title. The Golden Knights will host the Seattle Kraken, and the Los Angeles Kings will host the Anaheim Ducks for the final installment of this season’s Freeway Faceoff. A Golden Knights win and a Kings regulation loss should all but wrap up the Pacific Division. However, the Kings have a game in hand; things get very interesting if the Kings win and the Golden Knights lose in regulation.

Let’s do a little Q&A. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are less than two weeks away; beyond that, there’s the NHL Entry Draft and Free Agency. If you have questions, comments, or concerns about the Golden Knights’ season, playoffs, etc, please submit them to the Vegas Hockey Now Mailbag.

Golden Knights Prospects News

Trevor Connelly, the Golden Knights’ first-round pick in 2024, played his first AHL game on Wednesday. The Henderson Silver Knights fell to the Bakersfield Condors 4-2, but Connelly’s debut was a success. His playmaking was on full display, and he recorded his first AHL point with an assist on Raphaël Lavoie’s power play marker.

Playoff Clinches & Eliminations

On Wednesday, three teams met their fates while idle. The New Jersey Devils clinched a playoff berth; the Utah Hockey Club and the Vancouver Canucks were eliminated from playoff contention.

Teams that can be eliminated from playoff contention on Thursday: Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers

Teams that can clinch a playoff berth on Thursday: None

NHL News, Rumors, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: On Wednesday’s edition of his Written 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman provided injury updates and shared a story about the late great Greg Millen.

Sportsnet: Before Wednesday’s game against the San Jose Sharks, the Minnesota Wild called in the cavalry. They activated Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek off of Injured Reserve; the latter scored four goals in an 8-7 overtime win. 

Sportsnet: On Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers prepared to ice eleven forwards and five defensemen. Enter Connor McDavid, who returned from injury and recorded three assists in a 4-3 win.

The Athletic ($): Hockey is an intense game, both physically and emotionally. Players typically leave everything on the ice, but what happens when two heated rivals become teammates? 

Colorado Hockey Now: Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog hasn’t played an NHL game since June 26th, 2022. That won’t change just yet, but he’ll likely take a significant step in his recovery on Friday. The Avalanche loaned Landeskog to their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, for a conditioning stint.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: On Wednesday, sad news ripped through the hockey world. Ray Shero, senior advisor to Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin, passed away. Shero was responsible for building the Penguins’ 2009 Stanley Cup team.

NHL History: On April 10th, 1982, the Los Angeles Kings completed the Miracle on Manchester. They erased a five-goal deficit in the third period to defeat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the Smythe Division Finals.

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