By Jordan Long
The Las Vegas Golden Knights are off to a 3-4 start for a total of 6 points, 4th in the Pacific Division. They will be without the services of center Paul Stastny. He is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury which occurred on October 8th against the Buffalo Sabers. According to sportingnews.com, it is a knee injury. This could keep him out of the lineup for the next 2 months.
Last season, he helped the Winnipeg Jets advance all the way to the Western Conference Finals. They lost to the Golden Knights in 5 games. Stastny appeared in 17 postseason contests for the Jets. In those games he scored on the power play as well as full strength situations. Stastny had 6 goals and 9 assists for a total of 15 points in the playoffs. Of those 6 goals, 1 came with the man advantage and he added 4 power play assists.
The Golden Knights were looking to add to the offense in the summer. Stastny wasn’t the major prized free agent, but the Knights knew he could help this team. The Knights hoped his ability to score would be a boost to this team. They agreed to a 3-year, $19.5 million contract with him this past summer, averaging out to $6.5 million a year.
This is a big loss for the Knights offensively. Stastny appeared in 3 games this season. He didn’t produce a point, but managed 10 shots on goal. Stastny may not have scored a goal yet this year, but he creates scoring chances.
The Knights have yet to score a goal with the man advantage. They will miss Stastny on the power play since he is able to tip the puck past the goaltender or feed his teammates for goals. The Knights have to replace his production. Hopefully, they can stay in a playoff position until Stastny is back. If not, it could be a long year for them.
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