All across the NHL, players are off for their three-day break. The stockings are hung from the chimney with care, […]
All across the NHL, players are off for their three-day break. The stockings are hung from the chimney with care, and there’s a holiday roster freeze preventing teams from making moves.
The holidays aren’t just for debating whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Christmas is for spending time with family. It’s when you tell the truth— according to Love, Actually— and violently defend your home from intruders— according to Home Alone.
Christmas is most popular for being a time to exchange gifts with your loved ones. Let’s steal Santa’s mail and read what some of the Golden Knights asked for.
Pavel Dorofeyev & the Golden Knights
The Golden Knights have earned their reputation as a team that trades its future for current success. As such, they haven’t drafted many players, and even fewer have ended up sticking around with the big club.
Pavel Dorofeyev is the exception.
The Golden Knights selected Dorofeyev in the third round of the 2019 NHL draft. In the past six years, he came to America from the KHL, worked his way up through the AHL, and established himself as a certified NHL goalscorer. He has 70 goals and 110 points in 184 NHL games.
Now, at 25, Dorofeyev is a pending Restricted Free Agent. He’s on the last year of a $1,835,000 contract, and he’s working on earning himself a significant raise.
Last season, Dorofeyev led the Golden Knights with 35 goals. This season, he’s tied for the team lead of 15 goals with Tomáš Hertl. Dorofeyev isn’t known for his playmaking. He’s a player who can put that puck in the back of the net, which makes him a player the Golden Knights can ill afford to lose.
He is, however, prone to streakiness. Dorofeyev scored five goals in the first three games of the season and nine goals in the first ten games. The Golden Knights are now 35 games into the season, and Dorofeyev has 15 goals. You do the math.
In his letter to Santa, Dorofeyev asked for his scoring touch to return. In a contract year, more goals equal more money in the bank, whether it be from the Golden Knights or some other team.
Inversely, one thing the Golden Knights want for Christmas is to re-sign Dorofeyev at a fair cost. They can’t afford to lose him, but from a financial perspective, they can’t afford to hand him a blank check, either.
Mark Stone
At 33 years of age, there’s not much that Mark Stone hasn’t done. He didn’t win the Calder Trophy during his rookie season— I’ll die on the hill that he should have— but he finished second in voting. He’s been an NHL All-Star, and he’s a perennial candidate for the Selke Trophy.
Oh, and he’s won the Stanley Cup. And in hockey, that’s pretty much the only trophy that matters.
What I’m trying to say is, Stone has had a good career. There’s not much he still needs to do. Sure, he’s never scored 30 goals. And unless his injury luck turns around, he might not hit 1,000 games. But for a sixth-round pick, 725 games, 239 goals, and 663 points is pretty damn impressive.
An Olympic gold medal would be a nice addition, however. And this is Canada’s year… again.
Listen, I’m American. But I’m not delusional. Auston Matthews, Team USA’s Captain at the 4 Nations Face-Off, is having the worst year of his career. Jack Eichel’s health is in question, and Bill Guerin is apparently prioritizing Vincent Trocheck over Jason Robertson.
If Mark Stone makes Team Canada, he’s all but guaranteed to return home with a gold medal.
Teams will announce their Olympic rosters on January 2nd, so if Stone gets the call, it’ll be a belated Christmas present. But I bet I know what he asked for in his letter to Santa.
Mitch Marner
Mitch Marner is fitting in well with his new team. He contributes in all aspects of the game, but he’s really stepped up offensively with Jack Eichel out of the lineup. Marner is on a three-game point streak (3-3-6) and has nine goals and 38 points in 35 games this season.
But Marner didn’t sign with the Golden Knights to chase another 100-point season. Marner signed with the Golden Knights because he wants to win the Stanley Cup.
Over the past decade, the Maple Leafs became synonymous with regular season success. However, that success didn’t translate in the playoffs– they famously went 17 years between series wins. And when they finally did get over the hump, they regressed the very next season, once again losing in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what Marner achieves during the regular season. Rightfully or wrongfully so, his season will be defined by postseason success or failure. Despite recording 63 points in 70 career postseason games, Marner left Toronto with a reputation as someone who disappears in the playoffs. There’s only one way he can shed that label, and he knows it.
When Marner speaks, it’s obvious that he doesn’t really care about a two-goal game or a three-point night. He wants to help the team win in any way he can, but I don’t think statistics and personal accolades matter to him all that much— not ones from the regular season, at least.
Marner wants a long postseason run as a late Christmas present. He wants to win the Stanley Cup, but I think it might go deeper than that. I think he also wants to exorcize a few demons and clear his name.
Let’s see if Santa delivers.
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