Vegas Golden Knights: 2 Breakout Candidates For Next Season

With each season that passes, it seems as though every team has players who improve significantly. They often turn out to be prospects naturally, but players who have some experience in the league also can. In this segment, we will be looking at two potential breakout candidates from each team. We will also be setting a max age limit of 26 years old, so older players are not eligible for discussion.

In this one, we finish off the Pacific Division with the Vegas Golden Knights. They will be an intriguing team to pay attention to this season. They of course traded reigning Vezina Trophy winner Marc-Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks in a rather disrespectful fashion. However, besides that and the other moves they made, there are two players who are prime candidates to have breakout seasons. One is a young defenseman who has played well during his career thus far. The other is a recent acquisition looking for a fresh start.

Nicolas Hague D: Nicolas Hague had a very solid second season with the Golden Knights. In 52 games, the 22-year-old defenseman scored five goals and had 17 points. He has top-four potential and is showing signs of becoming a true one. He not only can provide decent offense from the backend, but also comes with a lot of size and physicality. This should be a big year for him, as he is inching close to 100 games of NHL experience. With that, he should only get more confident, which will allow him to become even better.

Nolan Patrick C: Nolan Patrick desperately needed a change of scenery and now he has it. The 2017 second overall pick struggled a lot with the Philadelphia Flyers. He missed the entirety of the 2019-20 season due to a migraine condition and only had nine points in 52 games this past season. He also was a -30. Yet, with the Golden Knights, he will have be given a lot of chances to succeed. There is no question that their center depth is not the strongest, so if Patrick impresses at camp, he could land in their top-six. Keep in mind, he is still just 22 years old, so there is reason to remain optimistic with him.