5 questions surrounding the Golden Knights with training camp near

**5 questions surrounding the Golden Knights with training camp near** It’s September, which means pumpkin spice has returned to Starbucks and hockey is just around the corner. If it seems like only yesterday the Vegas Golden Knights were two wins away from lifting the Stanley Cup, that impression is accurate—the brief offseason follows a deep playoff run. The Knights will resume activity soon. Their annual golf classic at TPC Summerlin is set for Tuesday, marking the first time the entire group has gathered since the end of the season. Training camp opens shortly afterward, ushering in the franchise’s 10th year. Here are several storylines to monitor over the next month. ### What happens between now and training camp? Things will begin to pick up gradually over the coming week. Rookie camp opens on Friday, followed by the Knights’ prospects taking part in the Rookie Faceoff in San Jose, California, from September 12‑15. After they return, the main training camp will commence. Vegas has limited time to reshape the roster, especially with the preseason trimmed from seven games to four. The NHL roster will largely remain unchanged from the group that pushed to the Cup final before falling to the Hurricanes. Parker Wotherspoon replaces Kaedan Korczak on the blue line, and Marc Gatcomb is the primary candidate to take Keegan Kolesar’s spot on the fourth line. ### Who will play on the fourth line? A competition will develop during camp to determine who lines up alongside Nic Dowd on the wing. The departure of Kolesar to Detroit and Cole Smith’s signing with the Chicago Blackhawks have opened the spots. Gatcomb, a 27‑year‑old who signed a two‑year deal on July 1 after two seasons with the New York Islanders, is an obvious choice. He appeared in 49 games last season, tallying seven points. It is also possible that the 12th and 13th forward positions will see competition from AHL Henderson. Tanner Lacyznski, Jonas Rondbjerg and Kai Uchacz—players who have flourished under new assistant coach Ryan Craig—are names to watch. ### Can Trevor Connelly earn a roster spot? The final roster opening could go to the Knights’ top prospect. It is not out of the question that Connelly could battle for a full‑time role or, at minimum, secure occasional call‑ups. The club’s 2024 first‑round selection has displayed flashes of readiness for that next step. The 20‑year‑old posted 49 points in 46 games with the Silver Knights last season, including a franchise‑record 15‑game point streak. Health remains the sole obstacle. Connelly missed last year’s training camp with a lower‑body injury sustained during the World Juniors showcase. He later sat out the World Juniors championships in December after another lower‑body issue forced him to miss a month and a half. He returned in time to help the Silver Knights reach the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time. “I’m just glad I was healthy for the second half of the year and playing consistently,” Connelly said at development camp in June. “We had such a great group down there. Such a fun year. Just looking at the summer, it’s an opportunity to come into camp, have a real impact on camp, get stronger, work on areas of my game I need to get stronger at.” ### What about Ryan Craig’s coaching style? The short answer is to anticipate more of the same approach the Knights have employed under their first‑time NHL head coach, emphasizing solid defensive play in front of the net and working the puck out of the zone. Craig now gets to implement his own system across everything he has overseen during the past nine seasons with the organization. He may draw on lessons learned as an assistant under Gerard Gallant, Pete DeBoer and Bruce Cassidy—and possibly a few tips from John Tortorella. The 44‑year‑old former AHL head coach will command respect from his players and should connect well with those who have previously played under him. At this stage, it remains a work in progress. “I’m in a different seat now,” Craig said, “but I do know that those guys in the room, there’s a level of respect, I believe, between each of us and there’s also a shared goal of trying to win a Stanley Cup.” ### Will the Knights make a big move? At present, no major transaction is expected unless an unexpected opportunity arises. The roster heading into camp will look largely the same as it did at the end of last season. Change is always possible, especially with Connor Hellebuyck requesting a trade; Vegas will continue to explore avenues to improve. The Dylan Larkin discussion has cooled for now, though any negotiation would involve Steve Yzerman, who is no longer the general manager in Detroit. A significant development before the season could involve contract extensions for captain Mark Stone and centre William Karlsson. Both are deemed too valuable to allow those situations to linger, and talks are likely to intensify once camp gets underway.