Vegas Golden Knights News & Rumors: Hart, Dorofeev and More – Hockey Writer – Vegas Golden Knights

Technically, the Vegas Golden Knights may be in second place in the Pacific Division, behind only the Anaheim Ducks, but it hasn’t felt like a contender’s season so far.

Vegas surged to open the month of December with three games, a welcome comeback after losing four straight games. Their 13-6-8 record looks good on paper, but anyone who watches the games every night can see the fluctuations behind it.

This season has been defined less by their position in the standings and more by volatility — sharp highs, confusing lows and a team still struggling to find its rhythm.

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We kick off this edition of news and rumors with Carter Hart’s injury and what it means for the Golden Knights’ future.

Carter Hart injured

Hart missed Friday’s game against the New Jersey Devils with a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day. The setback came after his Golden Knights debut, a win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Hart, one of five players on Canada’s 2018 World Juniors, was acquitted in a high-profile sexual assault case in July. After the ruling, he returned to the NHL this season.

“He had a minor injury against Chicago and then yesterday he may have aggravated it, but he probably didn’t, he did aggravate it a little bit, so we don’t think we’re in a position where if something happens to Akira, we want him to be supportive,” Bruce Cassidy said.

Hart’s injury is not expected to last, and the team expects him to return sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, Jesper Vikman will serve as Akira Schmid’s replacement.

Where is Dorofeev?

Pavel Dorofeyev has had a great start to the season. This is obvious to the entire NHL and the Golden Knights. Now, the Russian winger has left the team with more questions than answers.

Dorofeev has scored just two goals in his last 16 games, both on the power play. His last goal of the same intensity was 37 days ago, though he’s firmly in first place, playing a career-high 18:42 a night and spending 64 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone.

“About a year and a half ago, I was a rotation player,” the 24-year-old Golden Knights forward told NHL.com. international. “I think I played 47 games the year before (2023-24) and the next season I was in the starting lineup every night. That’s where the better statistics come from – more minutes and first-team production. That’s what makes the difference.”

Dorofeev hopes to return to top form during the remainder of December.

loose puck

• Jack Eichel has slowed down a bit since his hot start to the season, but he still leads the team in points. Eichel has been the centerpiece of the Golden Knights’ offense this season, but he’s had his ups and downs.
• Where is Mitch Marner? This issue has been around for a long time but has lingered since the start of the season. This season, he has 26 points and only 5 goals in 27 games. We’ll see if the first quarter of the season is just him adjusting in Vegas; only time will tell.
• The Golden Knights will continue their road trip into December with games against the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets. Vegas is on a three-game winning streak and we’ll see if they can keep that going this month.