Forward Paul Cotter has been the Vegas Golden Knights' most pleasant surprises of the 2022 season so far.
Cotter was brought up as a full-time member of the club last season and has certainly seized the opportunity.
Through his 33 games this season, the 23-year-old forward has registered eight goals and three assists for 11 points.
While these are far from outstanding numbers, Cotter has shown a ton of upside and has had himself some big-time performances, including four multi-goal games, two of which were two-goal outings.
Cotter scored the lone goal in his first game on the third line when the Golden Knights defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in their home opener.
After two more games, Cotter was taken out of the lineup for nearly a whole month.
In his return back, however, Cotter recorded a goal and an assist for his first two-point game in the NHL when the Golden Knights defeated the Buffalo Sabres.
He scored an assist the following game but then went on a 10-game scoring drought that certainly didn't help his case to stay in the lineup.
Cotter broke the silence with a two-goal performance against the Boston Bruins, which helped Vegas defeat what is now the best team in the NHL.
On Dec. 15 against the Blackhawks, Cotter went down with an upper-body injury, which had him sit for almost a month.
In his first game back, the young forward tallied a goal and an assist in the Golden Knights' 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In Vegas' win against the Washington Capitals on Jan. 21, Cotter posted two goals.
He hasn't recorded a point in the four games since.
While Cotter is not consistent, he is still a valuable player to have on the ice.
He brings speed out of every line he joins and has found chemistry with a few different linemates over the course of the season.
Cotter and the Golden Knights will look to end their four-game losing streak when they head to Nashville to face the Predators on Tuesday.
Follow along with VGK Today for live updates throughout the contest.
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