The Golden Knights through last night are tied for second in the NHL with 48 points, and the team's early success has team Owner Bill Foley "thinking about the playoffs -- even though qualifying for the post-season wasn’t in the initial game plan heading into the year," according to Mike Johnston of SPORTSNET.ca. Foley said, “Every game that we win makes me a little more impatient, I have to say. I had a timeline of playoffs in three and Stanley Cup in six. I felt like that was very achievable. I felt like we put ourselves in a position to do that with the draft and the draft for the coming years. I have to say I think I moved up our timeline a little bit because we are doing so well. The guys on the ice are gelling so well together. Now we have a situation where we need to get some unrestricted free agents signed up to make sure we keep the core of this team in place.” Foley added, "Everyone thought I was crazy when I said playoffs in three and Stanley Cup in six. I don't think they think I'm crazy anymore." Foley: "It's the most exhilarating experience I can remember ever having" (SPORTSNET.ca, 12/26).
ARE THEY BUYERS OR SELLERS? In Las Vegas, David Schoen noted attention has "started to turn" to what Golden Knights GM George McPhee "will do in the next two months" leading up to the Feb. 26 trade deadline. Will McPhee "make a splashy move to bolster the Knights roster," or will he "keep the team intact for a playoff push and try to re-sign the Knights' core players?" The conventional thinking before the start of the season was that McPhee could trade at least one player whose contract expires after this year "for draft picks or prospects if the Knights struggled, as previous expansion teams did" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 12/26).
STEVIE WONDER: In Tampa, Martin Fennelly writes under the header, "Steve Yzerman, GM Extraordinaire, Has Lightning Humming At Top." The Lightning lead the NHL with 54 points, and Fennelly writes, "I wouldn't trade any general manager in sports for the guy. I'd love to see what he would do with the locals, that hapless football team, that bargain-basement baseball team." Everything he touches "seems to turn to gold" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 12/27).
