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An in-depth look at the Vegas Golden Knights in 2026-27: Canucks Pacific Previews

Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

By Lachlan Irvine

Aug 29, 2026, 16:01 EDTUpdated: Aug 29, 2026, 16:16 EDT

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The Pacific Division in 2026-27 is a top-heavy division made up of two groups: the Haves and the Have-Nots. The gap between the best and worst has never been larger, and the Vancouver Canucks sit firmly at the bottom. Seven teams stand in their way on the path back to contention, and we’re going to look at all of them over the next two weeks in our Pacific Previews series.

Today we’re closing things out with the division-winning Vegas Golden Knights.

No matter how many times NHL teams vanquish the Vegas Golden Knights, they always seem to come back stronger than before.

The Knights have made the Cup final three times in the last four years and show no signs of slowing down. A murderer’s row of Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner and Mark Stone leading the forward corps. A blue line led by Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore. And a glut of depth that takes the ‘next-man-up’ mentality to the next level. They might not have been the favourite to win the Stanley Cup last year, but it wasn’t a big surprise when they won the West and came within two wins of the title.

The Knights and Oilers have effectively traded the Pacific Division’s pack leader job back and forth over the last seven years – even if the Oilers have never officially held the crown – with everyone else trying to topple them. But time and cap space are finally starting to catch up with Vegas, and while the division is still clearly theirs to lose, the path isn’t as clear-cut anymore. Teams like the Ducks and Sharks are only getting better, while the Knights have been forced to let key supporting cast members like Pavel Dorofeyev and Kaeden Korzac go in trades to make room for seven years of Rasmus Andersson at an $8.5 million AAV.

But even without reinforcements, the Knights still have one of the strongest depth charts in the NHL and few gaps in their armour. They have a new head coach – their third in less than half a year after Bruce Cassidy and good ol’ Torts – in Ryan Craig, who was coaching their AHL affiliate in Henderson prior. Their one major flaw is in goal, where Carter Hart is fresh off the single-worst goaltending performance in Stanley Cup Final history, to the delight of many. They’ve got no choice but to stick with him or go to Adin Hill, who’s fallen out of favour since winning the Cup with Vegas in 2023.

But no matter where the Knights have been in their franchise evolution, they’ve always had no problem beating the Canucks. They swept the three-game set last season, and at this point it feels like a scheduled loss for last-place Vancouver.

Canucks/Knights fun fact: P-O Joseph got into 31 games with the Canucks last year. He scored his only goal against the Knights on February 4. Someone had to score!

The only question for the Knights: can they do it again? Until someone else proves to be just as formidable as Vegas – and there’s simply no one close yet – the Golden Knights’ path to win the Pacific Division again is firmly in their own hands. It’ll be up to the Pacific’s seven other teams to knock them off their perch, and it will undoubtedly take a group effort.

Just don’t expect the Canucks to be much help.