Can the Dice Stay Hot?

December 13^th, 2017, Las Vegas, NV:

“You’re damn right I am surprised my friend”

This quote from Vegas Golden Knights General Manager, Doug Waite says it all.  The rag-tag team of cast-off’s and misfits of the Elite-Hockey Experience currently sit atop of the EHE Standings in their very first season.  A team built through an expansion draft, and calculated(ha) moves before the season began jumped ahead of the Manager-less Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night in December to take the top spot.

“Do I think it will last?  God, I hope so, but we will have to wait and see what the Simulation Santa Clause has in store for us.  We still have many games to come in this young year, so it is still up in the air,” the GM boasted from his snowed-out home in Western NY.  “Our top line has been clicking, and ‘S**t- has been leading our team in a number of ways.”

“S**t-bird”, would be a reference to leading team scorer, and the man currently second in EHE points behind Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand. 

“Brad has been doing it all for us this year.  Our top line has gelled amazingly, and have been able to put it all together so far.  I’m not going to lie, being a Canadiens fan since ’89, Brad could be on fire on the side-walk, and I would keep on walking, maybe giving a ‘sucks to be that guy’, as I was a block away,” boasted the GM.  “But, he has been, shale I say ‘money’(GM Waite then winked at the recorder)”

Marchand, selected with the first Franchise tag in Golden Knights history has led the team to an unprecedented state in their young existence.  Potting his 13^th goal in the team’s 17^th game, while adding 11 assists.  However, it has not been only Marchand who has been the man leading the team to the top.  Line mates, Paul Stastny, and JT Miller have been able to create a top line for the Knights that was never truly expected by the young GM,

“There has been no question that those three together are the reason we have made it this far.  When we draft Stats, he was the veteran down the middle that we are looking for.  And, JT, (comments have been removed due to Flasco-gate Conspiracy).  Those three have been powering us from the get-go.”

Has it all been one top line though leading Vegas to the top?  The stats may seem to tell a different story.  A team that was built from the back-end out currently, only has one player sitting at a negative plus/minus, while boasting a goaltending duo that has been putting up impressive numbers.  A GAA under two, and a save percentage currently at .926%.

Questions do remain though for the upstart Knights.  Can a defense led by Roman Polak really hold it together?  The bigger question though remains, what will happen to a team with no true number one center, or number one defenseman, and a starting goalie slated to become a UFA at season’s end?

“Those are good questions.  Go ask “S**t-bird.”