The Golden Knights are four wins away from their second Stanley Cup in four years, and the rest of the hockey world is rooting against them. That’s exactly how they want it.
When Vegas entered the NHL in 2017 as a feel-good expansion story, they were the league’s lovable underdog. Eight years later, they’ve become the villain — and they’ve leaned into it.
“Winning changed everything,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. The franchise’s accelerated timeline began after reaching the Stanley Cup Final in Year 1. “When Year 1 went like it did, it changed the calculus a little bit for the organization, and we’ve been trying to win ever since.”
The Knights open their third Cup Final Tuesday at 5 p.m. against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center. They’re the first expansion team since the 1970s to reach three finals in nine seasons.
That success came with a cost. The original core of Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki and Erik Brannstrom — drafted in 2017 as long-term cornerstones — was quickly dismantled. Suzuki went to Montreal for Max Pacioretty before Year 2. Brannstrom was shipped to Ottawa five months later. Mark Stone arrived via trade and signed an eight-year extension, betting on a two-year-old franchise.
“I think it takes bold decisions, but maybe more importantly, it takes good decisions because it’s easy to trade draft picks away if you don’t convert those to really serviceable players on your team,” McCrimmon said.
The aggressive approach continued: Alex Pietrangelo signed as a free agent in 2020, Jack Eichel arrived via trade in 2021 despite needing unprecedented neck surgery. Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl were added in 2024, Rasmus Andersson this year. Mitch Marner joined in July 2025 and is now in the Conn Smythe Trophy conversation.
“It’s really a break from what the norm has been for a long time,” McCrimmon said. “I always feel you manage the team in front of you organizationally.”
The Knights missed the playoffs in 2022, which many thought signaled a decline. Instead, they won the Cup in 2023. Now they’re back, with Pietrangelo on long-term injured reserve and his career likely over. Eichel and Stone remain the leaders.
“It feels like yesterday it was the first year we were all doing this,” defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “It’s been an awesome ride. Very fortunate that I’ve been here through this long and have another opportunity to try and win one.”
Vegas has embraced its role as the NHL’s New World Order — the heel that everyone loves to hate. “No one likes a consistent winner,” the article notes. The Hurricanes are the heavy rooting favorite among hockey fans. But the Knights are four wins from laughing again.
