Vegas Golden Knights: 2 Players Who Will Bounce Back Next Season

With the off-season starting to slow down a bit, we now have a better idea of every team's roster going into next season. Of course there will be other moves, but the craziness from the Expansion Draft and first day of free agency is officially done.

In this segment, we will be taking a look at two players from each NHL team who are set to bounce back next season. Sometimes players will have down seasons, but end up completely turning it around in the following one. This will inevitably happen for this upcoming year, too.

In this article, let's focus on the Vegas Golden Knights. Overall, it was another strong year for the Golden Knights, but did end a disappointing fashion. If they hope to win their first ever Stanley Cup, they definitely need these two players to have better years this go-around. They are certainly capable of it when looking at their past success. One of them is also a new guy who is certainly flashy.

Reilly Smith RW: Reilly Smith produced less than normal this past season. In 53 games, he scored 14 goals and recorded 25 points. In 71 games the season before, he had 54 total points. That is more in line with the production that we are used to seeing from him. Had he reached that many games this season, he would have been on pace for just 34 points. He's been a consistent 50 to 60 point player since joining the Golden Knights, so he should be able to replicate those totals again. He has been the subject of trade rumors, but until a deal actually happens, he is for sure a bounce back candidate for Vegas.

Evgenii Dadonov RW: In one of the most surprising deals of the summer, the Golden Knights brought in Evgenii Dadonov. It is clear that they are in need of a top-six center, so it is questionable that they opted to add another winger with a $5 million cap hit. Alas, it still could work out for them. In 55 games this season with the Ottawa Senators, the 32-year-old scored 13 goals and had 20 points. This was noticeably lower than his previous three seasons since returning to the league from the KHL. He had a 70-point campaign during the 2018-19 season and also had 65 points in 74 games in 2017-18. Thus, there is an offensively gifted player here. Perhaps the change of scenery will help him get his scoring touch back.