Last year the Vegas Golden Knights missed the playoffs for the first time since entering the league in 2017-18. Despite bringing in a big players last year like Jack Eichel, the team missed the playoffs and it was mainly due to injuries.
Top players like Eichel only played in 34 games, Mark Stone played in 37, Max Pacioretty played in 39, Reilly Smith - 56, William Karlsson - 67, Robin Lehner - 44. They did not have a single player on the roster last season that played in a full 82 games.
One of the most significant though is Robin Lehner who was given the reins as the starting goalie last year when the Knights traded away Marc-Andre Fleury for nothing. Lehner was plagued with an injury ridden and inconsistent season, which definitely played a part in the Knights missing the playoffs.
Now, according to NHL Insider Frank Seravalli, Lehner who had surgery at the end of the season might not be healthy for the start of the season.
With the Knights already in bad cap trouble, they were forced to trade away yet another star in Max Pacioretty this year, again, for nothing. If Lehner is unable to go at the beginning of the season, they will have to go with the tandem of Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit because they cannot afford to bring in another goaltender under the cap.
While everyone loved the Golden Misfits out of the gate and were thrilled to see them bring in stars like Mark Stone and Alex Pietreagelo, the Knights are now guilty of trying to force their team into a cup contender and now will suffer the cap punishments.
