Fantasy Take: Vegas Baby! Gerard Gallant Out, Peter DeBoer In

Cam Robinson

2020-01-15

 

Chalk this one up to things I didn't expect to be writing about today. The Las Vegas Golden Knights have fired head coach, Gerad Gallant and immediately replaced him with Peter Deboer. Gallant, less than two years removed from leading the expansion club to the Stanley Cup Finals and winning the Jack Adams for coach of the year, is now on the market. You have to wonder if he'll be unemployed long. Because it sure didn't take long for his successor to find work. 

The Golden Knights add DeBoer who is just a month removed from being let go in San Jose after a dismal start to their season. He joins a team holding onto the final Wild Card spot in the West but just three points out of the Pacific Divison lead. This is a gift-wrapped opportunity for the 51-year-old. Vegas is a team that has played well this year but has been at the mercy of some poor luck. 

 

 

This seems like a layup that DeBoer will enter the fray, the team will continue to play as they have, but will see some better shooting metrics, maybe a timely save or two more and fans and media will hail DeBoer the saviour. But even if that doesn't happen, at least DeBoer gets the last laugh after Gallant referred to him as a clown in the midst of the VGK-SJ first-round playoff matchup last spring. 

 

📢 advertisement:

Fantasy Impact: As is the case with virtually every change at the helm, we can expect some line shuffling to occur. To see the players with a little extra jump in their step for the first week as they fight through the embarrassment of having played their former coach out of a job. But I don't expect we see too many fundamental shifts with the lineup. I don't expect him to mess with the top line of William Karlsson, Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault too much. They've established enough to stick together. 

 

The best-case scenario for fantasy owners (some anyway) is the team will institute a more traditional power-play grouping. That is, they start to deploy a clear number one unit with the best options who see 90 seconds an opportunity. Just like the vast majority of teams do now. DeBoer traditionally did that in San Jose until Erik Karlsson arrived and threw a wrench in things with him and Brent Burns

The Golden Knights don't have that problem. They lack a truly elite power-play QB. Shea Theodore is their best bet so this could provide a boon to him if his average PPTOI can move from three minutes to closer to four.  This is purely speculative because their power play isn't even bad – sitting ninth in the league. Hell, nothing is really wrong with this team, which makes this move so strange. Perhaps we're looking at a philosophical or personal difference between Gallant and management. But again, purely speculative. 

 

We'll have to wait and see what, if any, changes occur. Watch the game-day skate lines. Watch who's getting a bump in power-play ice. Act accordingly. 

 

**

Follow me on Twitter @Hockey_Robinson

Leave A Comment

UPCOMING GAMES

Mar 19 - 19:03 TOR vs COL
Mar 19 - 21:03 MIN vs SEA

Starting Goalies

Top Skater Views

  Players Team
BRANDON CARLO TOR
JARED MCCANN SEA
QUINTON BYFIELD L.A
MACKIE SAMOSKEVICH FLA
ARTYOM LEVSHUNOV CHI

Top Goalie Profile Views

  Players Team
SAM MONTEMBEAULT MTL
JAKE OETTINGER DAL
ILYA SOROKIN NYI
TRISTAN JARRY PIT
KEVIN LANKINEN VAN

LINE COMBOS

  Frequency BUF Players
23.0 JASON ZUCKER RYAN MCLEOD ZACH BENSON
18.6 ALEX TUCH TAGE THOMPSON JORDAN GREENWAY
17.6 JACK QUINN BRETT MURRAY PEYTON KREBS

DobberHockey Podcasts

Keeping Karlsson: Hellllooooooo, Nyman

On this edition of the Keeping Karlsson Fantasy Hockey Podcast mega-show, Elan and Brian are highlighting the teams with the best and worst fantasy playoff schedules, and the players that are worth adding, holding or dropping as you get to the most crucial moments of your fantasy season.

Fantasy Hockey Life: Trade Deadline Prospect Movers

The trade deadline is past us…were any of the prospects traded fantasy-relevant? Victor and Jesse hit them all to get Victor’s analysis. Covered are:  Shane LaChance, Patrick Giles, Kyle Aucoin, Herman Traff, Brendan Brisson, Justin Brazeau, Marat Khusnutdinov, Calum Ritchie, William Dufour, Nikita Grebenkin, William Zellers, Aku Raty, Chase Stillman, Max Graham, Tristen Robins, Zack […]

Keeping Karlsson Short Shift – Potential Playoff Gems

Jeremy and Shams are here to keep you updated with the recent injury news, including a couple of players who may be out for the remainder of the fantasy season. For the remainder of the show, they cover a group of lesser known players that can help you out in your first week of the fantasy playoffs and possibly more.

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

📢 advertisement: