Golden Knights midseason report card: Grading every Vegas player's performance

Just past the midway point of the NHL season, the Vegas Golden Knights are in a familiar spot atop the Pacific Division.

Vegas has led the division at this point of the season in three of the last four years. This time, the Golden Knights don’t just own the best record in their own division, but the entire Western Conference. They’ve found different ways to win as the season has progressed, winning most of their early games with a hot offense, while the team’s defense and goaltending have carried them as of late.

There are no glaring weaknesses in the team to this point. Vegas ranks fourth in goals scored and sixth in goals allowed, with a top-10 power play for the first time in quite a while.

It’s a good time to assess how each player on the roster has performed individually. With a 29-12-3 record and well-balanced performance across the board, there won’t be many poor report-card grades handed out. Remember that these grades are based on expectations.

Without further ado, here are grades for all 22 Golden Knights players with at least 15 games played, starting with the highest grades.

43 games, 11 goals, 43 assists

Eichel has been everything for the Golden Knights this season. He’s on pace to shatter the franchise record for points in a season and top his previous career-high (82). He’s the best Hart Trophy candidate Vegas has ever had this far into a season, currently sitting seventh in betting odds for the award.

No one drives offense more consistently for the Golden Knights than Eichel, who has produced regardless of who has played on his wing. Even more impressive, on top of his gaudy offensive stats, Eichel is also taking far more defensive-zone starts than most star forwards around the NHL, and is also Vegas’ top penalty-killing forward.

It’s tough to find an aspect of the game Eichel hasn’t positively impacted for the Golden Knights.

44 games, 15 goals, 6 assists

Howden’s offensive explosion has been one of the best surprises of the first half of the season for the Golden Knights. He already has 15 goals, far exceeding his previous career high of nine for an entire season. He looks more confident with the puck on his stick and more willing to wait an extra second or two for more options to open up.

Howden is shooting at a red-hot 20.5 percent — well above his career average of 13.1 — so some regression should be expected in the second half. His assist total (six) isn’t great, but if he keeps finishing chances at anywhere near this rate, he’s a major weapon with a reasonable cap hit. Entering this season, Vegas knew it was going to need some players to elevate their production, and Howden is the best example.

34 games, 15 goals, 15 assists

Barbashev continues to be a perfect fit on Eichel’s wing. His combination of speed and physicality allows him to regularly win pucks back on the forecheck. Once he does that, he has the hockey IQ to find openings in the defense for his talented linemates to feed him the puck.

Barbashev just returned from a 10-game absence but is still second on the team with 15 goals — and all but one came at even strength. His rate of 1.42 goals per 60 minutes at even strength is near the top of the league, tied with Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov.

30 games, 12 goals, 27 assists

Vegas’ captain is quietly having another efficient offensive season, still second on the team with 39 points despite missing nearly a third of the games. He’s producing points at a rate near his career high, and is still a nightmare for opposing players when he doesn’t have the puck.

With Stone on the ice at even strength, the Golden Knights hold a 55.52 percent expected goal share, which is the highest of any player on the team. He’s also one of the biggest reasons why Vegas’ power play has been as effective as it has. His decision-making and execution along the goal line on that unit have been excellent.

44 games, 10 goals, 9 assists

Kolesar has taken his game to a completely different level this season. He’s still providing the physical presence that he always has, leading the team with 135 hits (55 hits clear of the next-closest teammate). Similar to Howden, Kolesar has looked far more comfortable with the puck this season, and it’s showing in his offensive output.

The 27-year-old has already reached double-digit goals for the first time in his career and needs only five more points to match his career high. Kolesar is always the first to drop the gloves to defend a teammate and is just flat-out better all over the ice than he’s been in previous seasons.

27 games, 18-7-2, .904 save percentage

Hill shook off an early-season slump and has played excellent hockey over the last few months. He currently ranks fourth in the NHL with 18 wins, and 14th with 9.35 goals saved above expected, according to Evolving-Hockey.

When Hill is at the top of his game, he’s incredibly tough to score on. He has a unique mix of size and athleticism and has been playing a much simpler, calmer game. As the Golden Knights’ scoring has dried up a bit lately, Hill has held them in games early while the rest of the team found its game. He’s a huge reason for the exemplary win-loss record.

17 games, 11-5-1, .904 save percentage

Behind Hill, Samsonov has been equally effective. Coming off a down year in Toronto, Samsonov has thrived as Vegas’ 1B with less responsibility. His .904 save percentage and 7.29 GSAx before Tuesday are both very good, and he’s been even better recently.

In his last seven starts before Tuesday, Samsonov was 6-1-0 with a .935 save percentage and 8.53 GSAx. Before Tuesday, he hadn’t posted a save percentage below .900 in a game since November. Both goalies have been terrific, keeping Vegas’ goals against numbers among the best in the league while the defense rounded into form.

41 games, 3 goals, 18 assists

Even at 35 years old, Pietrangelo continues to be an absolute workhorse on the blue line. He leads all Vegas skaters with an average of 22 minutes and 39 seconds of ice time per game, nearly an entire minute above the next-closest player.

Pietrangelo’s total of 21 points in 41 games is solid, not great, but his underlying metrics are even more impressive. With him on the ice at even strength, the Golden Knights average 3.27 goals, 2.98 expected goals and 12.83 high-danger chances per 60 minutes, all of which lead all Vegas defensemen.

44 games, 19 goals, 8 assists

Finally an NHL regular, Dorofeyev has taken big steps in his development this season with the Golden Knights. He leads the team with 19 goals, with eight coming on the power play despite playing on the top unit only sparingly.

Dorofeyev snapped a lengthy slump with two goals and an assist in Sunday’s win over Minnesota, and followed it up with the first hat trick of his NHL career Tuesday against Nashville Over the first 24 games of the season Dorofeyev had 12 goals and five assists (.71 points per game). Over the next 18, he registered only two goals and two assists (.22 points per game).

Perhaps these last two outstanding performances signal another turning point for him. His wrist shot has a deceptive release that regularly beats goalies clean.

43 games, 4 goals, 32 assists

Theodore continues to be Vegas’ best offensive weapon on the blue line. He’s third on the team with 36 points in 43 games. That’s an 82-game pace of 68 points, which would crush his previous career high of 52 in 2021-22.

The 29-year-old has quarterbacked the top power-play unit all season, racking up 14 assists with the man advantage. He’s been equally impressive driving offense at even strength. His 18 assists at five-on-five rank sixth among defensemen in the NHL, and trail only Eichel’s 27 on the Golden Knights.

44 games, 2 goals, 5 assists

McNabb has given the Golden Knights the same reliable performances night after night since he arrived in Vegas at the 2017 expansion draft, and nothing has changed this season. The 33-year-old leads all NHL defensemen with a plus-23 rating. Of the 71 blueliners with at least 700 minutes of even-strength ice time this season, only three have been on the ice for fewer goals against than McNabb.

He is also averaging over 20 minutes per game for the first time in five years and leads the team with 95 blocks.

23 games, 9 goals, 7 assists

Olofsson has done exactly what the Golden Knights hoped for when they signed him to a one-year prove-it deal this summer. He skates well, is smart with the puck and has finished scoring opportunities at a good rate.

He has nine goals in only 22 games, with the second-highest goals per 60 minutes rate of anyone on the team. He is running hot, with a shooting percentage of 17.6, but he has finished seasons close to that number, so it doesn’t scream “regression is coming” the way Howden’s numbers do. Olofsson has been a good addition to the power play as well. He doesn’t make many flashy plays, but continually makes solid, quick decisions.

44 games, 8 goals, 10 assists

When the Golden Knights invited Pearson to training camp on a professional tryout agreement, there was a question of whether or not he was still a full-time NHL player after missing significant time with injuries in each of the prior two seasons in Vancouver and Montreal.

Since then, he’s proven the answer to that question is unequivocally “yes.”

Pearson has played in every game for the Golden Knights, totaling eight goals and 10 assists. He can play down the lineup on a checking line. He can also fill in on the top line for short stints when needed. He isn’t a game-breaking player, but he’s been a solid addition.

35 games, 7 goals, 11 assists

On scoring production alone, Karlsson would’ve graded lower than this. With only seven goals and 11 assists, he’s on pace for only 35 points this season, which is well below what we’ve come to expect from him.

Karlsson boosts his grade — as he almost always does — with how well he does the little things. He’s still one of Vegas’ best defensive forwards and starts 45.7 percent of his shifts in the defensive zone. Despite getting these defensive shifts against the toughest matchups, Karlsson still ranks near the top of the team in on-ice expected goal share (55.22) and shot share (55.8).

It’s also worth noting that Karlsson’s most common linemates this season have been Pearson and Alexander Holtz. You’d like his point total to be much higher, but considering the situations he’s playing in, Karlsson has still been good.

44 games, 6 goals, 15 assists

There was a stretch in late November when it seemed like Hanifin was on the ice nearly every time the puck found the back of the Golden Knights net. The actual total was 12 of 16 goals against from Nov. 23-30. Since then, Hanifin’s numbers have improved, but his underlying metrics still aren’t great.

His 2.92 goals against per 60 minutes at even strength is the worst on the team. The 42 goals against that he’s been on the ice for ranks 20th among defensemen league-wide, which isn’t great considering that Vegas has given up the sixth-fewest total goals. He has been the victim of bad puck luck, with the lowest on-ice save percentage of any defenseman on the team, so those metrics should improve over the second half.

Watch Hanifin play, and he’s clearly been better than those numbers suggest. He is still an incredibly smooth skater with and without the puck and helps fuel Vegas’ dangerous transition offense. He also leads all Golden Knights defensemen with six goals.

36 games, 0 goals, 7 assists

Claimed off waivers just before the season opener, Schwindt has been a solid addition to Vegas’ bottom six. The 23-year-old is still searching for his first NHL goal, but he has already appeared in 36 games and has gained coach Bruce Cassidy’s trust in the defensive zone.

Vegas has outscored opponents 14-12 with Schwindt on the ice at even strength, and he contributes on the penalty kill. For a waiver claim with a cap hit of only $800,000, that’s all you can ask for.

37 games, 3 goals, 4 assists

Among Vegas’ seven defensemen with at least 15 games played this season, Whitecloud ranks third in goals against (1.91) and second in expected goals against (2.54) per 60 minutes. He’s not facing the toughest matchups while playing on the bottom pairing, but those are respectable numbers.

Whitecloud has also pitched in three goals. He doesn’t activate in the offensive zone as much as Pietrangelo, Theodore and Hanifin, but he has an excellent wrist shot when given the chance.

44 games, 12 goals, 19 assists

Hertl’s first full season with the Golden Knights has been a mixed bag to this point. At even strength, his play has been disappointing, considering his $6.75 million cap hit. He has only five goals and 11 assists at five-on-five, and hasn’t looked like the same dominant power forward below the goal line that he was in San Jose. His 16 even-strength points rank 11th on the team, behind Pearson and Kolesar — who play significantly less time — and his minus-10 rating is the worst on the team.

However, Hertl’s effectiveness on the power play has somewhat overshadowed his even-strength struggles. He leads the team with seven goals and is clearly the primary weapon on the top unit. Hertl does an excellent job of establishing position in front of the net and has finished one-timers from that spot at a solid rate. If he can help keep Vegas’ power play converting at over 25 percent, the Golden Knights will be a tough matchup for any team.

33 games, 6 goals, 8 assists

Roy has played mostly between Hertl and Kolesar this season, forming a heavy, physical line that’s tough to move off the puck once they establish possession. Cassidy is leaning on Roy’s defensive responsibility on that line, allowing Hertl and Kolesar to play freely deeper in the offensive zone without getting caught below the puck.

Roy hasn’t played poorly, but he also hasn’t seized the opportunity for a more offensive role in the same way Howden and Kolesar have. He’s still an important part of one of Vegas’ biggest strengths — center depth — but certainly has room to improve in the second half of the season.

17 games, 0 goals, 3 assists

Korczak barely met the threshold for games played to receive a grade, dressing in 17 contests this season. The Golden Knights haven’t needed him much this season with a relatively healthy blue line, but when called upon, Korczak has looked good.

33 games, 3 goals, 2 assists

Of Vegas’ seven qualifying defensemen, Hague ranks last in nearly every on-ice metric.

This is at least partially dictated by the way Cassidy uses the defensemen. Only 7.6 percent of Hague’s shifts start with an offensive-zone faceoff, which is the lowest of all Vegas defensemen. It makes sense, then, that his on-ice shares would be lower. Still, Hague has another level to his game that we’ve seen in past years.

Alexander Holtz: C-

44 GP, 3 goals, 7 assists

While some of Vegas’ other offseason acquisitions have met or exceeded expectations to this point, Holtz is still waiting to break out. The Golden Knights traded for the former first-round pick hoping to unlock his offensive potential, but Holtz has only three goals through 44 games.

Holtz also has the lowest defensive-zone start percentage of any forward on the team, suggesting Cassidy prefers not to use him in defensive situations. It will be interesting to see who Cassidy moves out of the lineup between Holtz and Schwindt if the forward lineup is ever healthy enough to force him into that decision.

(Photo of Keegan Kolesar: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)