(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas photographer Brandon Andreasen)

It’s my turn to embarrass myself. On an annual basis, I have done a poor job of predicting the production and team performance of Golden Knights players. So let’s screw it up again for the 2024-2025 season. Next, we’ll take a look at some of the best “Call Me Crazy” picks from the SinBin Discord.

Call me crazy, but Shea Theodore will score 15 goals this season

I’m ignoring that the same prediction didn’t come true last season. This is the season where Theodore breaks his career best. He got off to a great start in 2023/24 before injuries spoiled his pace. The blueliner scored four of his five goals last season in mid-November. Throughout his career, the 29-year-old averaged twelve goals per season and was well on track to equal or exceed these figures.

Theodore’s goals/games per season

• 2023-24: 5 goals, 47 games
• 2022-23: 8 goals, 55 games
• 2021-22: 14 goals, 78 games
• 2020-21: 8 goals, 53 games
• 2019-2020: 13 goals, 71 games
• 2018-19: 12 goals, 79 games
• 2017-18: 6 games, 61 matches

Look how close he’s been. If the veteran Golden Knight suits up for more than 70 games, he’s almost guaranteed to reach double figures in goals. One thing to note: It’s contract season for Theodore. If Theodore sees two impact teammates jettisoned to other Western Conference organizations this offseason, it could lead to Theodore making plans for the open market. So who knows, maybe that equates to taking more photos and turning on more lights.

Call me crazy, but Ivan Barbashev will lead the Golden Knights in goals

This might be, no this is, the craziest I’ve ever had. Barbashev averaged 16 goals per season during his eight-year career, scoring more than 25 times. However, there is a path in 2024-25 for the toppers to VGK’s top scoreboard. Vegas’ scorer for the past three seasons now plays in Nashville and has no known heir. Barbashev celebrated success nineteen times together with Eichel in the 2023/24 season, which he will do again this season. The two have built a strong bond since 2023 and reaching 25+ goals is not far-fetched. Additionally, only five players in Golden Knights history have scored 30 or more goals in a season. Barbashev will have a shot at the VGK goalscoring crown if he can score in the high twenties.

Call me crazy, but a Golden Knight will score the tournament-winning goal in the 4 Nations Faceoff

The Golden Knights will have four, probably five, players participate in this winter’s regular-season tournament. Jack Eichel is locked up for the United States and Noah Hanifin is in the bubble. William Karlsson will compete for Team Sweden and Adin Hill and Shea Theodore will represent Team Canada. With the exception of Hill, all of them are capable of scoring a big goal in a big moment. They all did it in the playoffs, so none of them will be under pressure in the 2026 Olympics. My guess is Karlsson. The Swedish team is so deep and he could be overlooked by the opposition. Karlsson usually quietly crashes the net and pokes home a rebound. Book it.

Call me crazy, but the ratings for Cassidy’s post-match press conferences will soar

Unlike recent years, the 2024-2025 roster has newer faces and roles. That comes with growing pains within a system, especially Bruce Cassidy’s system. As we’ve learned from the past, Vegas’ coach can be brutally honest. He may not use names, but every night he lets the fan base know why the team won or how the team lost. There could be several ugly wins this season and the leader will express his displeasure despite the two points. So far in this preseason, you can see some of Cassidy’s emotions on camera. Several times the coach visibly lowered his head after one of his players committed a stupid penalty. Why can the fans call it a stupid penalty? Coach Cassidy’s body language on the TV broadcast says so.

We asked members of our Discord community to share some of their bold predictions. Here are some of our favorites.

Dallas

Call me crazy, but Samsonov will have more wins than Hill at the All-Star break.

LL13

Call me crazy, but Stone and Karlsson have scored 100 goals together.

njdevilsdan68069

Call me crazy, but Vegas is playing Nashville in the first round of the playoffs.

Karradin

Call me crazy, but VGK has 5 players who score at least 30 goals, Karlsson, Hertl, Stone, Eichel and Dorofeyev.

rocket

Call me crazy, but Jack Eichel and Alexander Holtz combine for 220 points.

BulldozerCat

Call me crazy, but Isaiah Saville will start a game this year.

ProjectSaint

Call me crazy, but one of Roy, Brisson or Barbershev will be traded.

Shamwow 16-0

Call me crazy, but Eichel is crushing his career highs in goals (36) and points (82) without more than 10 games of Stone or Hertl on his line and with fewer than 25 power play points

sonicx

Call me crazy, but Vegas will actually stay healthy and miss the playoffs.

Markyjoe

Call me crazy, but Victor Olaffson breaks Erik Haula’s VGK team season power play goal record with 15 PPG.

vgkcharles

Call me crazy, but Vegas ends the season with a Top 5 power play.

CJBeer71

Call me crazy, but Roy is having a breakout year at Hertl, scoring 28 goals/33 assists for 61 points. On the other hand, Whitecloud is a healthy blank for 22 games, with Korczak taking his place. Whitecloud and Trevor Connelly are traded at the deadline for Taylor Hall at a 50% price.

Shannon

Call me crazy, but Hertl will beat Jack.

Salming

Call me crazy, but Hanifin and Pietrangelo will be the second and third defensemen in franchise history to score hat tricks

ats05

Call me crazy, but Alex Holtz has more combined blocks and hits than Paul Cotter this year.

LouDog777

Call me crazy, but Mark Stone will play in more games than William Karlson.