2023–24 Vegas Golden Knights season
National Hockey League season
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The 2023–24 Vegas Golden Knights season was the seventh season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that started playing in the 2017–18 season. The Golden Knights entered the season as the defending Stanley Cup champions.
| 2023–24 Vegas Golden Knights | |
|---|---|
| Division | 4th Pacific |
| Conference | 8th Western |
| 2023–24 record | 45–29–8 |
| Home record | 27–12–2 |
| Road record | 18–17–6 |
| Goals for | 267 |
| Goals against | 245 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Kelly McCrimmon |
| Coach | Bruce Cassidy |
| Captain | Mark Stone |
| Alternate captains | Jack Eichel William Karlsson Alex Pietrangelo |
| Arena | T-Mobile Arena |
| Average attendance | 18,137[1] |
| Minor league affiliates | Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) Savannah Ghost Pirates (ECHL) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Jonathan Marchessault (42) |
| Assists | Jack Eichel Mark Stone Shea Theodore (37) |
| Points | Jonathan Marchessault (69) |
| Penalty minutes | Keegan Kolesar (49) |
| Plus/minus | Brayden McNabb (+18) |
| Wins | Logan Thompson (25) |
| Goals against average | Logan Thompson (2.70) |
During the season, Vegas started off hot, winning the first seven games, the most wins to start a season from a defending cup champion. The Golden Knights played in the 2024 Winter Classic, losing 3–0 to the Seattle Kraken at T-Mobile Park on January 1, 2024.[2]
After a 7–0 win against the Colorado Avalanche on November 4, Vegas struggled throughout the rest of the season, stumbling from first in the Western Conference to a wild card spot. This included a 4–5–1 February slump, and a 2–8–1 record between February 12 and March 7. On April 12, the Golden Knights clinched a playoff berth for the sixth time in their first seven seasons, following a 7–2 win over the Minnesota Wild and a 5–2 loss by the St. Louis Blues to the Carolina Hurricanes.[3] In the playoffs, the Golden Knights faced the Dallas Stars, losing in seven games in the first round; despite taking a 2–0 series lead, Dallas went on to win four of the last five games.[4]
Standings
Divisional standings
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | y – Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 44 | 279 | 223 | +56 | 109 |
| 2 | x – Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 49 | 27 | 6 | 39 | 294 | 237 | +57 | 104 |
| 3 | x – Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 37 | 256 | 215 | +41 | 99 |
| 4 | x – Vegas Golden Knights | 82 | 45 | 29 | 8 | 34 | 267 | 245 | +22 | 98 |
| 5 | Calgary Flames | 82 | 38 | 39 | 5 | 32 | 253 | 271 | −18 | 81 |
| 6 | Seattle Kraken | 82 | 34 | 35 | 13 | 28 | 217 | 236 | −19 | 81 |
| 7 | Anaheim Ducks | 82 | 27 | 50 | 5 | 21 | 204 | 295 | −91 | 59 |
| 8 | San Jose Sharks | 82 | 19 | 54 | 9 | 14 | 181 | 331 | −150 | 47 |
Source: National Hockey League[5]
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division
Conference standings
| Pos | Div | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CE | x – Nashville Predators | 82 | 47 | 30 | 5 | 38 | 269 | 248 | +21 | 99 |
| 2 | PA | x – Vegas Golden Knights | 82 | 45 | 29 | 8 | 34 | 267 | 245 | +22 | 98 |
| 3 | CE | St. Louis Blues | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 31 | 239 | 250 | −11 | 92 |
| 4 | CE | Minnesota Wild | 82 | 39 | 34 | 9 | 32 | 251 | 263 | −12 | 87 |
| 5 | PA | Calgary Flames | 82 | 38 | 39 | 5 | 32 | 253 | 271 | −18 | 81 |
| 6 | PA | Seattle Kraken | 82 | 34 | 35 | 13 | 28 | 217 | 236 | −19 | 81 |
| 7 | CE | Arizona Coyotes | 82 | 36 | 41 | 5 | 28 | 256 | 274 | −18 | 77 |
| 8 | PA | Anaheim Ducks | 82 | 27 | 50 | 5 | 21 | 204 | 295 | −91 | 59 |
| 9 | CE | Chicago Blackhawks | 82 | 23 | 53 | 6 | 17 | 179 | 290 | −111 | 52 |
| 10 | PA | San Jose Sharks | 82 | 19 | 54 | 9 | 14 | 181 | 331 | −150 | 47 |
Source: National Hockey League[6]
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
x – Clinched playoff spot
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
x – Clinched playoff spot
Schedule and results
Preseason
The 2023 preseason schedule was published on June 22, 2023.[7]
| 2023 preseason game log: 3–3–1 (home: 2–1–1; road: 1–2–0) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Record | Recap | |
| 1 | September 24 | Vegas | 2–5 | San Jose | Patera | 9,785 | 0–1–0 | [8] | ||
| 2 | September 25 | Vegas | 2–3 | Colorado | Patera | 13,294 | 0–2–0 | [9] | ||
| 3 | September 27 | Los Angeles | 4–3 | Vegas | OT | Hill | 17,427 | 0–2–1 | [10] | |
| 4 | September 29 | Arizona | 1–3 | Vegas | Thompson | 17,501 | 1–2–1 | [11] | ||
| 5 | October 3 | San Jose | 2–0 | Vegas | Hill | 17,406 | 1–3–1 | [12] | ||
| 6 | October 5 | Colorado | 3–4 | Vegas | Thompson | 17,539 | 2–3–1 | [13] | ||
| 7 | October 7 | Vegas | 7–4 | Los Angeles | Hill | 15,080 | 3–3–1 | [14] | ||
Regular season
The regular season schedule was published on June 27, 2023.[15]
| 2023–24 game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Legend: Win (2 points) Loss (0 points) Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
| 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Legend: Win Loss | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
Updated to games played May 5, 2024
Skaters
Goaltenders
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan Thompson | 46 | 42 | 2,645:28 | 25 | 14 | 5 | 119 | 2.70 | 1,298 | .908 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Adin Hill | 35 | 35 | 1,968:49 | 19 | 12 | 2 | 89 | 2.71 | 957 | .909 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jiri Patera | 6 | 5 | 316:46 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 3.98 | 196 | .893 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan Thompson | 4 | 4 | 255:00 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 2.35 | 127 | .921 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adin Hill | 3 | 3 | 176:17 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1.70 | 72 | .931 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Golden Knights. Stats reflect time with the Golden Knights only.
‡Denotes player was traded or waived mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Golden Knights only.
Bold denotes new franchise record.
Transactions
The Golden Knights have been involved in the following transactions during the 2023–24 season.
Trades
* Retained Salary Transaction: Each team is allowed up to three contracts on their payroll where they have retained salary in a trade (i.e. the player no longer plays with Team A due to a trade to Team B, but Team A still retains some salary). Only up to 50% of a player's contract can be kept, and only up to 15% of a team's salary cap can be taken up by retained salary. A contract can only be involved in one of these trades twice.
| Date | Details | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 28, 2023 | To Pittsburgh Penguins Reilly Smith |
To Vegas Golden Knights VGK 3rd-round pick in 2024 |
[109] |
| June 29, 2023 | To Columbus Blue Jackets 7th-round pick in 2023 |
To Vegas Golden Knights 7th-round pick in 2024 |
[110] |
| March 5, 2023 | To Washington Capitals 2nd-round pick in 2024 4th-round pick in 2026 |
To Vegas Golden Knights Anthony Mantha* |
[111] |
| March 6, 2024 | To Philadelphia Flyers 5th-round pick in 2024 |
To Vegas Golden Knights Noah Hanifin* |
[112] |
| March 6, 2024 | To Calgary Flames Daniil Miromanov conditional 1st-round pick in 2025 or 1st-round pick in 2026 conditional 2nd-round pick in 2025 or 3rd-round pick in 2025 |
To Vegas Golden Knights Mikhail Vorobyev |
[112][113] |
| March 8, 2024 | To San Jose Sharks David Edstrom 1st-round pick in 2025 |
To Vegas Golden Knights Tomas Hertl* 3rd-round pick in 2025 3rd-round pick in 2027 |
[114] |
Players acquired
| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2023 | Mason Geertsen | New Jersey Devils | 2-year | Free agency | [115] |
| Mason Morelli | Hershey Bears (AHL) | [115] | |||
| Gage Quinney | Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) | [116] | |||
| October 7, 2023 | Grigori Denisenko | Florida Panthers | Waivers | [117] | |
| January 4, 2024 | Tobias Bjornfot | Los Angeles Kings | [118] |
Players lost
| Date | Player | New team | Term | Via | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2023 | Teddy Blueger | Vancouver Canucks | 1-year | Free agency | [119] |
| Laurent Brossoit | Winnipeg Jets | [120] | |||
| Connor Corcoran | Bakersfield Condors (AHL) | [121] | |||
| Jonathan Quick | New York Rangers | [122] | |||
| July 4, 2023 | Maxim Marushev | Ak Bars Kazan (KHL) | Tryout | [123] | |
| July 21, 2023 | Spencer Foo | Kunlun Red Star (KHL) | 3-year | [124] | |
| February 4, 2024 | Brayden Pachal | Calgary Flames | Waivers | [125] | |
| February 6, 2024[a] | Marcus Kallionkieli | Kiekko–Espoo (Mestis) | 1-year | Free agency | [126] |
| February 16, 2024 | Termination | [127] | |||
| March 8, 2024 | Tobias Bjornfot | Florida Panthers | Waivers | [128] | |
| June 17, 2024 | Ivan Morozov | Spartak Moscow (KHL) | 2-year‡ | Free agency | [129] |
| Legend: † Contract is entry-level. ‡ Contract begins in 2024–25 season. | |||||
Signings
| Date | Player | Term | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 28, 2023 | Ivan Barbashev | 5-year | [130] | ||
| Brayden Pachal | 2-year | [131] | |||
| June 30, 2023 | Adin Hill | [132] | |||
| July 2, 2023 | Jiri Patera | 1-year | [133] | ||
| July 15, 2023 | David Edstrom | 3-year† | [134] | ||
| July 19, 2023 | Pavel Dorofeyev | 1-year | [135] | ||
| Brett Howden | 2-year | [136] | |||
| October 8, 2023 | Jakub Demek | 3-year† | [137] | ||
| November 26, 2023 | Ben Hemmerling | [138] | |||
| November 29, 2023 | Jordan Gustafson | [139] | |||
| December 22, 2023 | Ben Hutton | 2-year‡ | [140] | ||
| December 31, 2023 | Mathieu Cataford | 3-year† | [141] | ||
| April 11, 2024 | Noah Hanifin | 8-year‡ | [142] | ||
| Legend: † Contract is entry-level. ‡ Contract begins in 2024–25 season. | |||||
Draft picks
Below are the Vegas Golden Knights' selections at the 2023 NHL entry draft, which was held on June 28 to 29, 2023, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
| Round | # | Player | Pos. | Nationality | Team (League) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 32 | David Edstrom | C |  Sweden |
Frölunda HC (J20 Nationell) |
| 3 | 77 | Mathieu Cataford | C |  Canada |
Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) |
| 96 | Arttu Karki | D |  Finland |
Tappara (U20 SM-sarja) | |
| 6 | 192 | Tuomas Uronen | RW | Finland |
HIFK (U20 SM-sarja) |
Notes
- Kallionkieli's contract with Kiekko-Espoo was announced ten days before Vegas officially terminated his NHL contract.