LAS VEGAS – For the third time in nine seasons, the Stanley Cup was hoisted inside T-Mobile Arena. For the second time, it was awarded to the visiting team.The Carolina Hurricanes’ stifling defense that has defined them for close to a decade finally made an appearance in the Cup Final, suffocating the Golden Knights en route to a 2-0 victory and their first championship in 20 years.The game marked the end of another improbable run for a franchise that has already experienced plenty in its short existence. For a Golden Knights team that enters every season carrying the weight of championship expectations, this postseason felt like a rare reprieve.Vegas’ unrelenting win-now mentality has led to unmatched success on the ice, with the most postseason wins in the NHL since 2017. The willingness to make bold moves in a constant pursuit of improvement is appealing to players, who clearly see Las Vegas as a destination, but the championship-or-bust standard can also be burdensome at times. There’s a palpable tension around the team when it isn’t winning, and every player knows that if they’re underperforming, the next move could be their last with the organization.That pressure was evident at different stretches throughout a regular season that teetered between disappointment and disaster. The team looked gun-shy and hesitant, and it eventually cost coach Bruce Cassidy his job. After the coaching change, the tension evaporated.John Tortorella’s tenure began with a couple of easy wins, which stretched the team’s lead atop the lowly Pacific Division and solidified its playoff standing. The Golden Knights went from looking destined for a lost season to staring at a manageable path to the conference finals.Suddenly, it felt like they were playing with house money.The result was a loose, confident team that finally played up to its potential. Mitch Marner exorcised his playoff demons to a degree no one saw coming. Brett Howden went on the heater of a lifetime. Shea Theodore blossomed in the role of the undisputed No. 1 defenseman. Tomaš Hertl started collecting Pokemon cards and snapped out of a career-worst drought just in time to fuel an unprecedented sweep of the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche.It was an incredible run by all standards, but it fell just short of a second championship in four years. It leaves the Golden Knights in an interesting spot looking forward.They’ll need to navigate contract extensions for pending UFA Rasmus Andersson and RFA Pavel Dorofeyev in the next couple of weeks, but outside of that, the core is locked up for the foreseeable future. Jack Eichel’s eight-year extension kicks in next season and runs through 2034. Marner is signed through 2033, and Noah Hanifin and Theodore are both signed through 2032.Even the way that dynamic is viewed has shifted dramatically over the last couple of months. When Vegas was sputtering in late March, with the 19th-best record in the NHL, the fact that its core was signed long-term with little cap space to maneuver could’ve been easily viewed as a detriment. Not only were the Golden Knights not as good as they needed to be, the roster construction offered no easy route for seismic change.