Admittedly, I thought making room for Jack Eichel by placing Mark Stone on injured reserve would benefit the Golden Knights, and maybe it still will. But Vegas has been one of the worst teams in the NHL since the All-Star break and is now in danger of missing the playoffs altogether.
At one point, Vegas looked like a solid bet to win the Pacific Division and a contender to win the Stanley Cup, but with 20 games to go, the Golden Knights are barely holding on to the last playoff spot. DraftKings lists their odds of making the playoffs at -135 as of Tuesday. Alternatively, bettors can bet them to miss the playoffs at + 115.
Vegas seems to lack the shooting talent to cash in on its chances, which has always been a problem. The Golden Knights typically rank among the best in terms of generating expected goals, but for one reason or another, the team can’t break through the ceiling, and that’s probably not going to change. Only one team has scored fewer goals than the Golden Knights since Feb. 7, even though Vegas has been generating expected goals at an average rate.