Vegas Golden Knight News & Rumors: DeBoer, Karlsson, Dean

In this edition of Vegas Golden Knights News & Rumors, head coach Peter DeBoer explained how and why the team needs to start drawing more penalties. Meanwhile, one of his top strikers, William Karlsson, who is currently sidelined with a broken leg, has been added to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list. In other news, management was able to sign Zach Dean, whom they selected in the first round of the 2021 draft, to an input contract.

The golden knights struggle to draw punishment

Much has been made about the success or lack of power play by the Golden Knights this season. Through 22 matches, they only scored 13.7% chances, the number ranked 26th in the entire tournament. That is extremely disturbing, however according to Deboer, This is a the concern is even greater; the team is not likely to draw a penalty.

As of Tuesday, the Golden Knights had only drawn 60 penalties during the season, which is the lowest total in the NHL. This is not a good indicator for a team that is predicted to be a contender for the Stanley Cup, and DeBoer spoke about the matter earlier this week.

“We had to pull out some more penalties, that’s been the problem here for a long time,” DeBoer said. “For the period when we have holes when we play well, we should draw more and that’s we have to hit those holes a little harder.”

While it’s still early days, it looks like these comments from DeBoer may have paid off, as the Golden Knights were able to draw four penalties against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night. If that trend continues, they will be a more successful team going forward.

Karlsson is included in the list of COVID protocols

Several Golden Knights players have battled COVID-19 this season, with the most recent being Karlsson. 28 year old man has been added league’s COVID protocol list in Monday. The good news is that he’s been out of the squad with a broken foot, and is said to still be wearing his walking shoes, which means he’s not close to returning.

Related: The immediate success of the Golden Knights was to eliminate the Kraken

At the time of his injury on October 29, he was given a 4 to 6 week timeline. While he got off to a slow start before injury with one goal and three points from eight games, he remains one of the better scorers on this list. Whenever he is able to return, it will be a big boost for the Golden Knights roster.

Dean Signs Entry-Level Deal

Late on Thursday afternoon, the Golden Knights announced that they signed a contract with Dean with a three-year entry-level contract. The 18-year-old was selected for the 31st time in the 2021 draft after scoring 10 goals and 20 points in 23 games against Gatineau Olympiques in the Quebec Junior Hockey League last season.

The young forward has had a solid start with the Olympiques in 2021-22 with four goals and nine points from just seven competitions. Those numbers were enough to get him an invitation to join Team Canada Training Camp for the upcoming World Children’s Championship. While he is a long shot to join the team, the fact that he received this invitation at just 18 years old is quite impressive in its own right.

Next for the Golden Knights

As mentioned earlier, the Golden Knights played one game this week, one they lost 6-5 to the Ducks. They have a chance to return on Friday night when they will face the struggling Arizona Coyotes with a two-point result. They then take on a much tougher opponent at the Calgary Flames on Sunday in what promises to be a hilarious split.

Colton Pankiw is a former Jr. hockey player. He was a very active and trusted source for almost two years at The Hockey Writers. He’s the credited writer for the Calgary Flames but also appeared on other teams throughout the tournament. Other written contributions include: Oil on Whyte, NHLtradetalk.com, and Markerzone.com. Colton is also the co-host of both Cocoa Oil and Flames Faceoff podcasts. Any request for interview or content information can be made through him on Twitter. Check out his work here.