The Vegas Golden Knights have known nothing but success in their 6 years in the NHL. However, they brought that level of achievement up considerably during last season's playoffs when they secured their first Stanley Cup championship.

It may have been somewhat of a surprise when the regular season came to an end, but head coach Bruce Cassidy had his team prepared for a very long and successful run. That triumph may have lit the fuse for this franchise, and perhaps another title is within reach.

The Golden Knights will have targets on their collective backs this season, but that's really not a whole lot different than it has been throughout their history. They made it to the Stanley Cup Final in their curtain-raising season of 2017-18, and that made them a team to beat every time they took the ice in the ensuing seasons.

Cassidy and the Knights found the right path during last year's postseason. The Knights defeated the Winnipeg Jets in 5 games, the Edmonton Oilers in 6, the Dallas Stars in 6 before they took down the upstart Florida Panthers in 5 games and raised the Stanley Cup in celebration.

There is little doubt that the Golden Knights will be a strong Stanley Cup contender again this season. Here are 3 bold predictions for the upcoming season.

3. Jack Eichel will score 40 goals and reach the 100-point mark for the Golden Knights

The trade of Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres to the Golden Knights took some time to work out, because the star center had to go though surgery and rehab before he could take the ice for Vegas.

The 26-year-old Eichel started slowly as he played just 34 games during the 2021-22 season for the Knights with a rather ordinary total of 14 goals and 11 assists.

However, Eichel finally found the freedom he didn't have in Buffalo and he came into his own last season with 27 goals and 39 assists in 67 regular season games while skating on the top line for the VGK.

As good as those numbers were, Eichel demonstrated how much of a difference maker he was during the playoffs. He had 6 goals and a league-best 20 assists in 22 postseason games for his championship team.

Eichel came into the league in 2015 as the No. 2 draft pick behind Connor McDavid, and while he does not have anything close to the numbers as the Edmonton superstar, he does have a Stanley Cup on his resume.

Eichel is a remarkably gifted player and his confidence has never been higher. He will set career highs in goals (40) and points (100) this season.

2. Mark Stone will win his first Selke Trophy

Stone has been a solid all-around player throughout his career, and that include his excellence on defensive assignments.

The 31-year-old has demonstrated he can score clutch goals with his touch around the net and then skate 200 feet to get back to the defensive zone and break up opponents offensive forays.

As good as Stone has been in that area, he has never won the Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward. That's not a surprise, because Patrick Bergeron of the Boston Bruins won that award 6 times in his stellar career.

Bergeron retired in the offseason, and that means that other top all-around forwards will finally have a chance to bring that trophy home. Stone should have an excellent chance of beating out the other top contenders like Elias Petterson of the Vancouver Canucks, Mitchell Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils and Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings.

Look for Stone to approach 30 goals and 70 points, along with delivering stellar defensive play.

1. Bruce Cassidy of the Golden Knights wins coaching honors

The Golden Knights coach wore a perpetual grin on his face throughout the offseason after his team won the Stanley Cup in unexpected fashion.

When the playoffs started, Cassidy's former team, the Boston Bruins, were the odds-on favorite to roll to the Stanley Cup title because of their record regular season.

The Golden Knights did not set records last season, but they excelled throughout the postseason and won the big prize. Cassidy had come close in 2019 as he coached the Bruins to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, but his team fell short.

Cassidy will be more relaxed than he has ever been in the regular season because he is a championship coach. His team will reward him with a first-place season in the Pacific Division, and that should be the ticket he needs to win the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's best coach. Cassidy will win the honor for the first time in his career.