Graney: Golden Knights shouldn’t forget losing in Cup Final

Graney: Golden Knights shouldn’t forget losing in Cup Final In one respect, everyone is embracing a clean slate—a starting point, as their new manager likes to call it. In another, no member of the Golden Knights wishes to erase the memory of falling just short. Ryan Craig has begun his tenure as the Knights’ manager, yet the recollection of being two wins away from a second Stanley Cup—lost to Carolina in six games—remains a significant part of how players view the upcoming season. It should linger. “That 1 is going to sting for a agelong time,” said defenseman Brayden McNabb. “There’s information to get backmost there. New coach. We recognize there’s not going to be a full batch of change. I think he’s going to be large for us, the way he handles stuff. You could tell when he was an adjunct for us that he would be a head manager some day. We’re all excited to work with him and get things going.” Craig does not want his players to bury those feelings deep in the rear‑view mirror, especially after coming so close to winning it all. He knows what it feels like to climb the mountain, having been part of the staff that celebrated the franchise’s Stanley Cup title in 2023. The Knights again possess a talented roster capable of contending for the Cup. That reality has not shifted. Yet few teams can rely solely on skill to endure a long, grueling campaign; everyone needs something to drive them when adversity strikes. “It’s a long year,” said defenseman Noah Hanifin. “So many things can happen. It’s hard to get to the point we did last year. But much of the group here has been through it before. We’ve got to start from square one, sure, but it’s important to carry the positives from last year and make sure we bring it close when the season starts and get off on a good foot. “What happened (against Carolina) sticks with you, but it shows you when we click, however far we can go. It was a good learning experience to see what it takes to play your best hockey and just how hard it is to get the job done. Come back now. It’s very important we have a really good start to the year, to try and pick up where we left off as a team in the playoffs last season.” Confidence in Craig is evident throughout the locker room as training camp opened this past week. Players know his expectations, and familiarity helps with a condensed camp and preseason schedule. There isn’t much time to get on the same page, and the season opener—Sept. 29 at home against Chicago—will arrive quickly. Losing hurts, especially a Game 6 defeat in the Cup Final, which can be brutal. That is why it is unavoidable for the Knights to carry some of those emotions into the new campaign. Strangely, that can be useful if channeled correctly. “Absolutely, you’re thinking about it the whole summer,” said forward Ivan Barbashev. “But we have a lot to prove. We’re a really good team, and I think everybody is excited to get going. I think (Craig) is going to be great for us. Guys like him. He did a really good with (the Silver Knights) in Henderson and everybody here is excited to get things going with him.” The squad looks forward to a fresh season, a new coach, and a renewed outlook. Yet they will not soon forget being two wins away—and they shouldn’t. Everyone needs a little push when things get tough, and they always will.