Return of Paul Stastny helped Golden Knights get up to speed

One of the biggest splashes the Golden Knights made in the offseason was to bring in veteran playmaker Paul Stastny to anchor what they hoped would be a revamped second line.

He made it nearly all of three games without recording a point before going down with a lower-body injury that kept him out more than two months.

“It was a unique situation,” Stastny said. “You come to a new team right away and that happens. It’s frustrating to watch. The team was struggling a little bit, and then they’re playing well, which is good, but at the same time, you don’t really feel too much a part of the team. You’re still trying to get to know the guys. I think you really get to know the guys when you’re playing with them on the ice, when you’re around the locker room, when you’re on the road with them all the time.”

Without Stastny, the Knights struggled to find any kind of consistency on the second line. Even the first line was impacted as opponents could focus more of their defensive attention on William Karlsson, Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault.

When Stastny came back for a Dec. 14 game in New Jersey, it didn’t take long to see the kind of difference he could make.

“Once I got back, I felt like after five, six games, I just kind of found my groove, and since then the team’s been playing well and we’ve got a good mix of guys here that kind of clicked and bonded really well.”

Stastny’s recollection is pretty spot on.

The Knights went 2-1-3 in his first games back before taking off and winning seven straight. Stastny scored 11 points during that winning streak.

“He makes so many little plays that just go unnoticed in a game,” defenseman Nate Schmidt said. “You don’t really understand how good a player he is until you play with him and see what he does and the things he can do and the plays he makes along with the poise and confidence he brings as a veteran guy. I think it’s an invaluable trait to have in your group.”

Stastny established himself as a key piece for the Knights, eventually settling into his role centering a line with Max Pacioretty and midseason acquisition Mark Stone and doing more than enough to help the Knights back to the playoffs.

The season might have been even better had Stastny been able to build chemistry with his new team earlier in the season instead of missing so much time.

“You don’t really say, ‘What if?,’ ” Stastny said. “Just because it’s part of hockey, part of life sometimes. It happens.

“Sometimes you get hurt, and then it’s kind of a blessing in disguise and good things come out of it. I got to do some more stuff off the ice a little bit, where I came back, I gained a couple extra pounds and felt stronger and a little more powerful on the ice. Sometimes you don’t get to do that during the season because you’re playing.

“When you have an injury, sometimes you’ve got to take advantage of not being on the ice and try to do something off the ice to build that strength.”

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Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.