The franchise is primarily owned by Black Knight Sports and Entertainment, a consortium led by Bill Foley, with Adrienne Maloof holding a minority stake.

[11][12][13] In November 2014, an unconfirmed report stated that the league had selected billionaire businessman Bill Foley and the Maloof family (former owners of the National Basketball Association's Sacramento Kings, and founders of the Palms Casino Resort) to lead the ownership group for a Las Vegas expansion team.

[14][15] In December 2014, the NHL's board of governors decided to allow Foley to hold a season ticket drive to gauge interest in a Las Vegas team, though league commissioner Gary Bettman also asked the media not to "make more out of this than it is".

[26] Foley committed to pay the league's $500 million expansion fee[27] and began the process of hiring the team's principal staff and determining its official identity.

[29] On March 1, 2017, the team completed its expansion fee payments and filings, making it eligible to formally begin operations such as free agent acquisition, and participation in league meetings.

[33] Over the next two months, the Golden Knights developed their farm system, announcing affiliations with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League and the Quad City Mallards of the ECHL.

Some notable selections included goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury from the Pittsburgh Penguins and winger James Neal from the Nashville Predators.

[38] The Golden Knights played their first game on October 6 against the Dallas Stars with Neal scoring the franchise's first two goals en route to their first victory.

In the aftermath of the October 1 mass shooting, the pre-game ceremonies honored the victims of the attack, and the team issued an appeal for donations to its charitable arm.

[45] Fifteen games into the season, Vadim Shipachyov became the first player to retire from the NHL as a Golden Knight when he decided to return to the Kontinental Hockey League.

[60] On May 6, 2018, the Golden Knights defeated the San Jose Sharks four-games-to-two, becoming the third team in NHL history to win multiple playoff series in their inaugural season, and advanced to the conference finals.

[66][67] Additionally, Vegas acquired future captain Mark Stone from the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline,[68] subsequently signing him to an eight-year extension.

[71] The Sharks would eventually win the game, after a late game-tying goal by Jonathan Marchessault for Vegas followed by Barclay Goodrow's series winner in overtime.

In June, original Golden Knights Erik Haula and Colin Miller were traded to the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres,[73][74] respectively, with recently signed KHL standout Nikita Gusev also sent to the New Jersey Devils.

[93] In first round of the playoffs, Vegas was forced to a game seven for the third consecutive year after leading 3–1, but defeated the Minnesota Wild thanks in part to a hat trick from trade-deadline acquisition Mattias Janmark.

[98] The 2021 off-season began with a swap of former first-round picks, as Vegas acquired Nolan Patrick from the Philadelphia Flyers as part of a three-team trade that sent Cody Glass to the Nashville Predators.

[105] Approximately one month after the start of the 2021–22 season, Vegas acquired star center Jack Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres, in exchange for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, and two draft picks.

[106] During the course of the season, the Golden Knights suffered a rash of injuries across the roster,[107] with a total of 478 man-games lost;[108] owing to this, Ben Hutton,[109] Michael Amadio,[110] Adam Brooks,[111] and Derrick Pouliot were signed or claimed off waivers for depth,[112] while rookies such as Jake Leschyshyn, Jonas Rondbjerg, and Logan Thompson received significant playing time.

[113] Due in part to the injuries, as well as lackluster play, the Golden Knights ultimately missed the playoffs for the first time in team history,[107] finishing three points behind the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference.

[122] The Golden Knights began the 2022–23 season leading the Pacific Division, losing just two games during the month of October, and holding a 17–6–1 record at the end of November.

[123] However, the team slowed down afterwards, posting a combined 12–12–3 record through December and January, including a 1–5–2 slump in the eight games prior to the All-Star break.

[131] After clinching a playoff berth on March 30, 2023,[132] Vegas defeated the Seattle Kraken in their final regular season game on April 13, narrowly beating out the Edmonton Oilers for both the Pacific Division championship and first seed in the Western Conference.

[144] The Golden Knights entered the 2023–24 season retaining the majority of their Cup-winning roster,[145] agreeing to extensions with Barbashev,[146] Hill,[147] and Brayden Pachal several weeks after the Finals.

[148] However, Blueger, Brossoit, and Quick departed in free agency, while original Golden Knight Reilly Smith was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, ending his six-year tenure with the franchise.

[149] For the second consecutive season, Vegas started the season at the top of the Pacific Division, going 11–0–1 over their first twelve games, with no regulation losses in October;[150] their seven-game season-opening win streak set the record for the longest season-opening winning streak of any defending champion, surpassing the record of five previously set by the 1985–86 Edmonton Oilers and 1920–21 Ottawa Senators.

[151] The team again faltered in the months afterward, though, with another rash of injuries between November and February resulting in the NHL debuts of Lukas Cormier,[152] Mason Morelli,[153] and 2020 first-round pick Brendan Brisson.

[6] After a short winning period in late January that featured Hill's return from a two-month injury,[157][158] as well as Pachal's loss to the Calgary Flames on waivers,[159] the team celebrated its first 1,000th-game ceremony on February 12, 2024, as defenseman Alex Pietrangelo played his 1,000th NHL game.

[177] Their second "Reverse Retro" uniform was a faux-back design from 1995, featuring a black base and a diagonal "VEGAS" wordmark inspired by various vintage hotels in the strip.

[178] For the 2024 Winter Classic, the Golden Knights wore faux-back 1917 vintage white uniforms with heritage gold stripes, gray pants and helmets.

[198][199][200] Golden Knights games on KMCC, and formerly on ATTSN, are called by former Boston Bruins radio announcer Dave Goucher on play-by-play, and Shane Hnidy, who previously worked color for the Winnipeg Jets on TSN.