I was disappointed when Vegas beat my Winnipeg Jets -- though perhaps it was deserved for our team -- and I ended up watching a lot of Vegas games in what was some sort of Stockholm syndrome. It was pretty easy to see they were going to go the distance. By and large, every team they played against had to fight tooth and nail to play to their level. They had players delivering in every single game and a relentless offence. With Florida fighting hard and struggling for their victories, it really felt like this was Vegas' series to win. And it was; Florida struggled to contain the sheer offensive power of the Knights and Hill played better than Bobrovsky.
We'll leave all the cap shenanigans out of it. I think it's absurd that the NHL drops cap restrictions in the playoffs. But the reality is I think Vegas would have won with or without Stone. A rock-solid team that earned it.