Both Nic Roy and Chandler Stephenson joined the Vegas Golden Knights the same season, 2019-20, and have both been contributing to the team in all five seasons since. Stephenson is three years older and was more established as an NHL player at the time of arrival, so he got a better opportunity sooner.
The Golden Knights have always been a “what have you done for me lately” type of team, whether that involves trading players or moving players up and down the lineup. This has gotten them to be a very competitive team year in and year out and has also led them to a Stanley Cup. Stephenson and Roy have had different roles, but it didn’t take long for Stephenson to become an impactful player, doing so by the age of 26 and after finally being given a proper opportunity.
Roy is now finally getting that after being stuck as the fourth line center for a long time. Vegas’ lines have always been more even and Roy has played much more than a typical fourth line player, but he still played there at five-on-five for the most part. This is due to having Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and Stephenson ahead of him on the depth chart and Roy working so well in matchups on the fourth line.
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Once again, injuries have taken hold of the Golden Knights’ season and it has allowed for Roy to finally get his big opportunity. Now that he’s gotten it and is playing as a regular top-six center, it’ll be hard to turn back and he is set to take off.
What Roy Has Done as a Top-6 Center on Vegas
When Eichel came out of the lineup due to an injury, Roy got a shot on the top line where he was effective and scoring. He is playing between the two wingers that Eichel normally plays with, Ivan Barbashev and Jonathan Marchessault, and doing a great job.
After producing at around 0.5 points-per-game over the past two seasons, Roy has already passed his offensive output of last season with 31 points, and is averaging two points every three games while even averaging 45 seconds less than the previous two seasons.
While Roy has proven to be a very effective player in his role for the Golden Knights, he is now really coming out of his shell offensively. He is under contract for three more years after this season at just $3 million AAV. This is going to prove to be just as good of a deal as the one Stephenson has and Roy will have earned his place in at least the top-nine from here on out.
