The 10th play of Vegas Golden Knights hockey isn’t 1 to beryllium abbreviated connected intrigue.
First is the obvious. A caller manager is starring a squad that was 2 wins distant past twelvemonth from a 2nd Stanley Cup successful squad history. Most of the halfway is backmost for different run.
But it’s a caller epoch acknowledgment to the caller corporate bargaining statement going into effect. Teams volition play 84 games this season. Preseason is shortened from 7 games to four. Training campy volition surely beryllium shorter.
That’s bully for those who privation hockey to commencement backmost up arsenic soon arsenic possible.
There’s inactive plentifulness to look up to with the Knights arsenic they unfastened grooming campy astatine City National Arena connected Thursday.
Here are 10 storylines to look guardant to heading into Year 10:
New seat boss
The Ryan Craig epoch is underway. What comes with that alteration of the guard?
Craig has an unenviable but welcoming task of being a first-year NHL manager connected a squad that was 2 wins from a Stanley Cup. He besides has relationships with a ample information of the roster, whether they beryllium from his clip arsenic an adjunct manager oregon erstwhile helium was coaching the Henderson Silver Knights.
As a erstwhile AHL captain, helium volition bid the respect of the players. He’ll subordinate to them connected a level that an experienced manager mightiness conflict with.
As acold arsenic connected the crystal goes, don’t expect a batch of alteration successful Craig’s systems from what the Knights person done since 2023. Why crook distant from a benignant of play that has resulted successful 2 trips to the Stanley Cup Final successful 4 years?
Craig volition enactment his ain rotation connected things, but the operation volition apt beryllium the aforesaid from what Bruce Cassidy and John Tortorella ran. Cassidy created structure. Tortorella created belief. Craig’s occupation volition beryllium to merge the two.
The goalie conundrum
It’s a important twelvemonth for Adin Hill and Carter Hart, arsenic good arsenic the aboriginal of the Knights’ goaltending.
It’s apt Hart volition get the starter’s occupation to statesman the season. He’s earned that close with his playoff run, adjacent if things fell isolated during the Stanley Cup Final.
Hill volition get his opportunities. He’s inactive making $6.25 cardinal per play done 2031. Injuries plagued him again with lone 27 appearances past year, an .871 prevention percent and 3.04 goals-against average.
Someone volition person to instrumentality clasp of the starter’s crease astatine immoderate point. Hill needs to enactment steadfast and beryllium past twelvemonth was a blip connected the radar. Hart is entering the last twelvemonth of his two-year, $4 cardinal declaration helium signed successful October.
General manager Kelly McCrimmon said helium didn’t similar the goaltending past year, but helium likes the goaltenders. If nary 1 takes the reins, determination mightiness beryllium different avenues to explore.
Rumor has it there’s a disgruntled goaltender successful Winnipeg looking for a caller home.
More from Eichel
Jack Eichel played a batch of hockey past year. Such is the consequences of winning a golden medal and playing until June.
Eichel has taken steps to becoming 1 of the league’s elite two-way players. He has 2 trips to the Cup Final to beryllium it.
There aren’t galore who had a worse sensation successful their rima from losing than Eichel.
“Since the commencement of September, you person this eventual goal. Every squad does,” Eichel said June 16. “When you get truthful adjacent to it, and you don’t execute it, it leaves you with rather an bare feeling.”
November volition beryllium 5 years since the franchise-altering trade that brought Eichel to Las Vegas from the Buffalo Sabres. It’s a commercialized that worked retired for Eichel, the Knights and the franchise’s future.
At 29 years old, he’s entering his premier aft back-to-back 90-point seasons. The Knights volition request different cogwheel from Eichel if they privation to marque different agelong run.
Marner magic returns
Mitch Marner banished the ghosts of playoff past with a tally that will spell down successful franchise lore. The lone happening it didn’t travel with was hardware.
But Marner showed he’s worthy each spot of hassle the Knights went done to get him erstwhile helium erupted for 29 points successful the playoffs.
“I deliberation you ever judge successful yourself to bash spectacular things,” Marner said. “You virtually can’t bash thing by yourself successful our sport. You request 5 radical to beryllium connected the close leafage a batch of times for a batch of things to spell your way.”
The adjacent tenable question to ask, is what tin Marner bash for an encore? Not conscionable successful the playoffs, but done the regular season.
After a frantic archetypal play with the Knights, Marner should settee successful nicely. He returns to the helping with a halfway that volition get him the puck (William Karlsson) and different coming disconnected an unthinkable goal-scoring tally successful the playoffs (Brett Howden).
Wild Bill’s adjacent ride
Speaking of Karlsson, an important twelvemonth lies up for the Original Misfit.
Karlsson is afloat steadfast aft the astir frustrating play of his career. He missed 68 games successful the regular play with a hamstring injury. He returned for the playoffs and was an contiguous quality maker.
Then came a broken wrist successful Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final to halt everything.
The wounded bug has rattled the once-durable Karlsson the past fewer seasons, but he’s inactive arsenic effectual a 200-foot subordinate arsenic anyone successful the league erstwhile healthy.
That volition substance successful his adjacent contract. Karlsson enters the final twelvemonth of the eight-year, $47.2 cardinal contract helium signed successful 2019. Extending Mark Stone for 2 years connected Saturday means Karlsson is the adjacent important portion of declaration concern the Knights request to thin to.
There shouldn’t beryllium immoderate interest astir that one. Karlsson should beryllium extended astatine immoderate point. It’s conscionable different lawsuit of when, and however much.
The instrumentality of Vic
It’s the 2nd coming of Victor Olofsson successful Las Vegas. A bigger relation awaits him.
The 31-year-old returns to the Knights aft signing a one-year woody with the squad connected July 1. Olofsson scored 15 goals successful 2025 with the Knights earlier signing a one-year woody with Colorado that summer. He was portion of the blockbuster Nazem Kadri commercialized with the Calgary Flames successful March.
The Knights signed Olofsson 2 years agone disconnected the heels of losing Jonathan Marchessault successful escaped agency. He became the benignant of shot-first subordinate they needed. Fortunately for the Knights, Pavel Dorofeyev became a 30-goal scorer.
Dorofeyev is present with the New York Rangers, and Olofsson returns with much work connected him. He’ll instrumentality Dorofeyev’s spot connected the apical powerfulness play unit, an country helium was highly effectual with the Knights his archetypal clip here.
Bowman’s clip to shine
Braeden Bowman’s way to becoming a full-time NHL subordinate is disconnected to a blistering start.
The Knights signed the undrafted guardant to a six-year, $20.4 cardinal contract Thursday, showing however overmuch the enactment believes successful the 23-year-old’s trajectory.
The $3.4 cardinal headdress deed is large worth successful the rising headdress world, particularly if Bowman tin proceed to develop. He turned a call-up successful spot of Stone successful November into a 54-game rookie play and a middle-six relation this season.
Bowman scored 11 of his 26 points successful the archetypal 15 games. That rookie partition came astatine him hard. He’ll request to amusement he’s continuing to set to the rigors of the NHL schedule.
What does the 4th enactment look like?
Nic Dowd is going to person 2 caller wingers connected his enactment with the departures of Keegan Kolesar and Cole Smith.
The Knights’ 4th enactment is going to look vastly different. It’s going to make accidental from Henderson, especially, for different young subordinate to combat for a roster spot.
Marc Gatcomb is going to beryllium 1 of those winger replacements. The 27-year-old is simply a accepted center, but he’ll determination retired of presumption to springiness the Knights different right-handed instrumentality for faceoff purposes.
The different spot could crook into idiosyncratic getting a afloat look from the AHL. Kai Uchacz is 1 who volition vie for a spot. Tanner Laczynski is besides successful the cards aft starring Henderson successful scoring past season.
Don’t hide astir Jonas Rondbjerg, either. The past remaining subordinate of the Knights’ inaugural introduction draught people has agelong had coagulated NHL stints connected the 4th line. Perhaps this is the twelvemonth helium gets a chance.
Same defense, caller look?
The bluish enactment is mostly intact from past year’s group, with the lone quality being Parker Wotherspoon replacing Kaedan Korczak pursuing the commercialized for each different successful the offseason.
The Knights are moving guardant with Shea Theodore, Noah Hanifin, Rasmus Andersson and Jeremy Lauzon signed agelong term, with Brayden McNabb and Wotherspoon filling retired the six defensemen. Dylan Coghlan volition beryllium the extra.
One uncertainty Craig volition person to woody with is however volition helium deploy the six defensemen. Hanifin and Andersson skated unneurotic astir of past season. Their familiarity with each different dates backmost to their Calgary days.
Early expectations are the Knights volition divided those 2 up and spell with a much balanced attack with the 3 pairs. That whitethorn travel astatine a minutes driblet for 1 of the 3 offensive-minded defensemen, but Craig has immoderate decisions to make.
Who challenges for a roster spot?
Outside of the aforementioned Uchacz and Laczynski, the shortened preseason isn’t going to make galore looks astatine those knocking connected the door.
Top imaginable Trevor Connelly volition beryllium 1 of those getting an extended look. It’s a slim accidental for him to marque the roster retired of camp, but helium should spot astatine slightest 2 of the 4 preseason games, if not each four.
Raphael Lavoie could beryllium different enactment pursuing his 30-goal play successful Henderson. Ben Hemmerling is different young subordinate to ticker aft a 50-point play successful his archetypal steadfast twelvemonth successful the AHL.
Contact Danny Webster astatine dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 connected X.
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