15 reasons this NHL season took place in the Upside Down
By Paul Grant
14. The Golden Knights did not stink
The Vegas Golden Knights, the first expansion team to grace the NHL since Wes Walz was a thing, weren’t expected to be Washington Capitals-first-season terrible — they did have, after all, one of the best talent pools to draw from in expansion history — but they weren’t expected to win their division, either.
But they did. They were the second team in the entire league to clinch their division, people!
Nor were the Golden Knights expected to battle to the end for the Western Conference title. And, sure, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is a swell guy and teammate, but, c’mon — no one expected the three-time Stanley Cup winner to set personal bests in save percentage and goals-against average with an expansion team.
In short, Gerard Gallant, after being kicked to the curb (you remember that, don’t you?) by the perpetually directionless Florida Panthers, is the odds-on favorite for coach of the year, and George McPhee has got to be odds-on favorite for GM of the year. And let’s not forget William Karlsson leading the league in plus/minus (top two were Golden Knights) and scoring 43 goals. Did you see that coming, Kreskin? This team turned expectations upside down for sure.