The Vegas Golden Knights established a blueprint for how to run an expansion team, becoming a huge box-office draw while they shocked the hockey world and reached the Stanley Cup Final. Now, what do they do for an encore?
Their path won’t be easy. The West became tougher when the San Jose Sharks, loading up for a Cup run, acquired defenseman Erik Karlsson from Ottawa. The Kings signed free-agent winger Ilya Kovalchuk, who has been out of the NHL since 2013, in hopes he can score enough to support their solid defense.
Two young teams are looking to make turnarounds.