I Keep Doubting the Golden Knights - and They Keep Proving Me Wrong

Before the conference finals of the NHL playoffs began, I ranked the four remaining teams from the strongest to the weakest.

I put the two favorites, the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche, at the top, which is the consensus. But then, in third, I put the young, inexperienced Montreal Canadiens ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights, who have been a fixture atop the West since their inaugural season almost a decade ago.

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The Knights are slowing down.

Vegas can’t keep getting away with it.

They might have made it to the West finals, but that’s only because they played the Utah Mammoth and the Anaheim Ducks, two bright-eyed teams that don’t know the dangers of the playoffs.

And like clockwork, right as I overlooked the former Stanley Cup champions, Vegas came out firing, beating the Avalanche on the road 4-2 to open the seven-game series.

Although it’s easy to brush aside the Golden Knights as a team that won the lottery (literally) with their expansion and the number of good players they started out with, it’s just a fact now that they’re one of the best-run franchises not only in hockey but in all of professional sports.

They can somehow take two random fans from the crowd, named Stephanie and Serena, offer them to an opposing team, and bam — they just traded for a player who scored two goals in the postseason.

Vegas will always have the reputation of a team that brings in stars from other franchises, with Jack Eichel and now Mitch Marner leading the way, but they’ve been savvy with building out their depth.

I’m done doubting the Golden Knights, win or lose this series against the Avalanche.

And even if they do lose to the Avalanche, I’m sure they’ll somehow sign my accountant, Stanley, and somehow turn him into Auston Matthews for next season.

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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 8:25 PM.