The Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup after only six years in the league, a feat in itself. Without taking anything away from the team, which played by the rules, the arrival of Mark Stone just in time for the playoffs was a determining factor in the victory. Indeed, with the captain injured, it allowed the team to make other acquisitions and exceed the salary cap. But that's not cheating, since there's no cap during spring ball. Where it gets tricky is with forward Nolan Patrick. According to Frank Seravalli, Patrick isn't as injured as the Golden Knights claimed, when he was on the long-term injured list. <q>I think it's fair to say that Nolan Patrick could be a perfect fit for the Oilers, provided he's healthy. As @frank_seravalli hinted on Oilers Now: I think Nolan Patrick may have been a little healthier than the Vegas Golden Knights may have let on.</q> Could the 2nd overall pick in 2017 have returned to action, having not played all season? It's quite possible, and his salary would have put Vegas over the cap for the season. To say they wouldn't have won the Stanley Cup is an exaggeration. They did have Phil Kessel warming the bench during the playoffs. However, according to the collective agreement, penalties against the Golden Knights could have been very serious. Healthy players are obligatorily activated and count against the payroll, and since the trade deadline had passed, there was no chance of trading them. Exceeding the cap could result in a fine of 1 to 5 million, suspension at the league's discretion, loss of draft picks and, worst of all, automatic losses until the matter is resolved. Getting back to Nolan Patrick, the Oilers would be interested in giving him a chance, if he's healthy. It remains to be seen whether Seravalli's claims are true. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/tyleryaremchuk/status/1694022762686488604?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1694022762686488604%7Ctwgr%5E7239a0e2aa3750a4e4e1060b88ba15d338d2e4d4%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.habsetlnh.com%2FMajeur-le-repute-Frank-Seravalli-vient-daccuser-les-Golden-Knights-de-Vegas-davoir-triche-lors-des-series-eliminatoires-2023-273310'> </a></blockquote></div>