Early last season, just after their stirring and emotional home opener, I was in Vegas to watch the Golden Knights back-to-back games against the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. The Golden Knights had gotten off to a thoroughly respectable start and even if it didn’t seem sustainable, they were a fun team to chronicle. The fan support was outstanding. They’d done some innovative things to enhance the entertainment experience off the ice.



But most importantly, they were an energetic, entertaining hockey club that pushed the pace and made their opponents work for every inch of ice. Too many times in the past, undertalented expansion teams would play a kitty-bar-the-door style of hockey, trying not to lose by much, which made the hockey practically unwatchable. The NHL does a lot of things wrong, but giving Vegas a fighting chance to be competitive right away was one of the things they got right.



Player-wise, Vegas created a blueprint for how to select...