Call me crazy, but (Jason's 2024-25 picks)

(Image credit: SinBin.vegas photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Now it's my turn to embarrass myself. On an annual basis, I did a poor job of predicting the production and team performance of the Golden Knights players. So, let's screw it up again for the 2024-25 season. Then let's 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 pan out last season. This is the season in which Theodore ends his career on the best note. He had a great start to the 2023-24 season before injuries affected his pace. The blueliner scored four of his five goals last season by mid-November. Over the course of his career, the 29-year-old averaged 12 goals per season and was on track to match or exceed those numbers.

Theodore's goals/games by 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
• 2019-20: 13 goals, 71 games
• 2018-19: 12 goals, 79 games
• 2017-18: 6 games, 61 games

Look how close he was. If the veteran Golden Knight plays more than 70 games, he will almost certainly be scoring in double figures. One thing to keep in mind: It's contract season for Theodore. The fact that two key teammates will be released to other Western Conference organizations in the offseason could prompt Theodore to focus on the open market. Who knows, maybe it has something to do with taking more shots and lighting more lamps.

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

This might be, no, this is, the craziest thing I've ever had. Barbashev averaged 16 goals per season over his eight-year career and scored more than 25 goals once. However, there is a way for the top striker in the 2024/25 season to reach the top of VGK's top scorers list. Vegas' goaltender for the last three seasons is now in Nashville and there is no apparent successor. Barbashev celebrated alongside Eichel 19 times in the 2023/24 season, which he will do again this season. The two have developed a strong bond since 2023 and achieving more than 25 goals is not far-fetched. Additionally, only five players in Golden Knights history have scored 30 or more goals in a season. Barbashev has a chance at VGK's scoring crown if he can score in the high 20s.

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

The Golden Knights will take part in this winter's regular season tournament with four, probably five players. Jack Eichel is suspended for the United States and Noah Hanifin is on the bubble. William Karlsson will compete for Team Sweden and Adin Hill and Shea Theodore will represent Team Canada. With the exception of Hill, everyone is capable of scoring an important goal in a big moment. Each made the playoffs, so none of them will be under pressure as they prepare for the 2026 Olympics. My guess is Karlsson. The Swedish team is so deep that he could be overlooked by the competition. Karlsson usually then quietly rushes into the net and shoots in a rebound. Book it.

Call me crazy, but the ratings for Cassidy's postgame press conferences are going to be through the roof

Unlike previous years, the 2024-25 roster features newer faces and roles. With that comes growing pains within a system, particularly Bruce Cassidy's system. As we've learned from the past, the Vegas coach can be brutally honest. While he doesn't name names, he tells the fan base every night why the team won or how the team lost. There could be several ugly wins this season and the leaders will express their displeasure despite the two points. So far this preseason, you can see some of Cassidy's emotions on camera. The coach visibly hung his head several times after one of his players took a silly penalty. Why can fans call it a silly penalty? Coach Cassidy's body language on the television broadcast says it all.

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 by the All-Star break.

LL13

Call me crazy, but Stone and Karlsson combined to score 100 goals.

njdevilsdan68069

Call me crazy, but Vegas will play 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 combined for 220 points.

DozerCat

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 setting career highs in goals (36) and points (82) without more than 10 games against Stone or Hertl on his line and with fewer than 25 power play points

s0nicx

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 single-season power play scoring record with 15 PPG.

vgkcharles

Call me crazy, but Vegas finishes the season with a top-five power play.

CJBear71

Call me crazy, but Roy had an outstanding year with Hertl, scoring 28 goals/33 assists for 61 points. On the other hand, Whitecloud has been a healthy substitute for 22 games, Korczak has taken his place. Whitecloud and Trevor Connelly are trading at 50% at the deadline for Taylor Hall.

Shannon

Call me crazy, but Hertl will surpass Jack.

Salming

Call me crazy, but Hanifin and Pietrangelo will become 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.