Could Newly-Extended Defenseman be Next Golden Knights Success Story?

Typically, championship teams are built through the Draft. Sure, teams add a few pieces through trades or in Free Agency, but for the most part, they’ll draft and develop their core players. But ever since they entered the league, the Vegas Golden Knights have defied this rule.

With the exception of Jonathan Marchessault, when the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023, they did so on the backs of players they traded for– Jack Eichel, Chandler Stephenson, Mark Stone, and Adin Hill. 

Time and time again, the Golden Knights have demonstrated their ability to identify talent and buy low. In 2019, they sent the Washington Capitals a fifth-round pick for Chandler Stephenson. In 2022, they acquired Adin Hill from the San Jose Sharks for a fourth-round pick. 

What the Golden Knights haven’t demonstrated, however, is an ability to identify NHL talent in the Draft. They’ve drafted 58 players since 2017, and just six will start next season in the NHL. Only two of those players– Pavel Dorofeyev and Kaedan Korczak– will suit up for the Golden Knights. The other four– Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, Paul Cotter, and, now, Nic Hague– have new homes.

Cotter and Hague were the first two Golden Knights development success stories. Hague, drafted 34th overall in 2017, became a very good NHL defenseman. He played 364 games with the Golden Knights and helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2023. Now, he’s gone, traded to the Nashville Predators so that he could get his well-deserved raise.

Paul Cotter, drafted 115th overall in 2018, added speed and physicality to the Golden Knights’ bottom six. He didn’t suit up during the 2023 Stanley Cup run, but finished his Golden Knights tenure with 22 goals and 45 points in 138 games.

Last season, Pavel Dorofeyev took a massive step forward, cementing himself as the next development success story. He played all 82 games last season, scoring 35 goals and finishing the year with 52 points. He also contributed to the lethal power play with 13 goals and 17 points. And at just 24, there’s no reason to believe Dorofeyev won’t improve from here.

Dorofeyev, along with newly acquired Mitch Marner, Jack Eichel, and Shea Theodore, helps keep the average age of the Golden Knights’ roster down. But after losing Nic Roy, if they want to once again contend for the Stanley Cup, they need another development success story.

When the Golden Knights gave Kaedan Korczak a four-year, $13 million contract extension, they bet on him to be just that. They also bet on him to have a breakout season to the point where a $3.25 million AAV contract would look like a steal.

Read More: Golden Knights Gamble, Give Defenseman Four-Year Extension

Korczak, drafted 41st overall by the Golden Knights in 2019, looks primed for a breakout. At 6’4”, the 24-year-old right-shot defenseman fits right in with the other behemoths on the back-end. He’s fast and can really skate, especially for a man of his size. He’s physical and isn’t afraid to take the body or lay a hit.

In 77 career NHL games, Korczak has a goal and 21 points. He’s a talented puck mover with good vision. He’s also demonstrated an ability to jump into the play without cheating for offense.

As the 7th defenseman, he played just 40 games last season, sometimes going long stretches without drawing into the lineup. This year, in Alex Pietrangelo’s absence, the Golden Knights plan to significantly increase Korczak’s workload– general manager Kelly McCrimmon even came out and said it.

“I think the obvious candidate for more responsibility is Kaedan Korczak,” McCrimmon said during a press conference on July 1st. “He’s going to be an every-night player; we are really confident that he can be.”

Those words, emphasized by the new contract, will mean nothing if Korczak doesn’t seize this opportunity. McCrimmon said that, too.

“Sometimes, you need that opportunity to take a step,” said McCrimmon. “You have to be ready for it when the opportunity comes, or you don’t get to keep it.”

Well, this is it: Korczak’s opportunity has arrived. And no one wants him to make the most of it more than the Golden Knights.

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