Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) skates against the Arizona Coyotes during the second period of an NHL hockey game at T-Mobile Arena Saturday, April 9, 2022.
Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022 | 2 a.m.
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It seems like every year the Golden Knights are about to enter a pivotal training camp. This one won’t be any different.
Vegas begins on-ice practice today to ring in Year 6 for the franchise. For the third time in those six seasons, a new coach is leading training camp with the Bruce Cassidy era starting.
Cassidy is tasked with taking over a Golden Knights team that missed the playoffs for the first time last season, traded its best goal scorer for future considerations, and will not have his No. 1 goalie.
The first few days are going to be teaching-heavy, spending a day each on offense, defense and the neutral zone before opening the preseason Sunday in Colorado. The Golden Knights play the next night at home against the Los Angeles Kings.
“You’ll probably see two different lineups for the first two exhibition games,” Cassidy said, “We’ll reevaluate after five days how smaller of a group we want to get down from there, how quickly you want closer your group to look like.”
Here are some key storylines to watch for as the Golden Knights return to normal hockey activities.
Hague’s contract status
Barring unexpected developments, defenseman Nic Hague will not be skating as he waits for his contract situation to be resolved.
The restricted free agent was expected to have a new deal prior to training camp, as general manager Kelly McCrimmon emphasized throughout the summer that it was a top priority.
But with the Golden Knights signing forward Phil Kessel and acquiring goalie Adin Hill, the cap space has quickly dried up. It’s unclear where the disconnect is between both sides.
Vegas has six defensemen on the NHL roster. Ben Hutton occupies that final spot at the moment. Hutton played well when called upon, even at times as a top-pair option with Alex Pietrangelo.
“Last year, coming in not knowing if I was going to have a job or not,” said Hutton, who was signed last October and later signed a two-year extension in March. “Just coming into camp ready to play, obviously trying to earn my spot and my ice time back.”
Stone’s health
Cassidy said Monday that captain Mark Stone “feels great” as he recovers from offseason back surgery, but the capacity in which Stone participates at camp is still to be determined.
“I anticipate he will be,” Cassidy said. “How much he’ll [participate], is he 100%? Will it be noncontact? Will it be half? That’ll be dependent on the medical team and Mark, how he’s feeling. Right now, he’s trending to be out there with us.”
Stone missed more than half of last season in an on-and-off capacity, but still finished with 30 points in 37 games. That’s a 66-point pace over an 82-game season, which would’ve been a career-high for him.
Stone is expected to be ready for opening night Oct. 11 in Los Angeles. Chemistry with whomever his linemates are won’t be the issue, but rather the conditioning and getting to game speed will be the top priorities.
Seeing who’s partnered with Stone on the top line will be a development to watch for over the next few weeks. He will not have Max Pacioretty as a linemate for the first time in three-and-a-half years.
Normalcy for Eichel
Jack Eichel is about to have his first normal training camp since 2019.
His final years in Buffalo were overshadowed by the pandemic and not getting the preferred neck surgery he wanted. Now at 100%, Eichel is about to play his first full season with the Golden Knights after 25 points in 34 games last year.
“Looking forward to it,” Eichel said. “We’ve been skating for two weeks now together as a group. Just the structure of the season, looking forward to it.”
This is going to be the first time in a few seasons that Eichel will seem at peace. Focusing on hockey and not the distractions that came with the surgery and moving on from the Sabres might be the best thing for him.
With that comes added pressure. He’s now the star forward on a team that has playoff aspirations. Eichel is still looking for the first trip to the playoffs in his NHL career.
“I’m just excited,” Eichel said. “It seems like it’s the most normal it’s been in a while, and for me, the same. Excited for a full camp and some preseason hockey, and just trying to hit the ground running.”
The ongoing goalie carousel
Pending on the health of Laurent Brossoit, there’s a possibility the Golden Knights could carry three goalies to the opening night roster.
Brossoit and Logan Thompson was proclaimed to be the duo in net for the Golden Knights when the season begins. The acquisition of Hill from San Jose last month, coupled with the uncertainty of Brossoit coming off offseason hip surgery, puts that theory into question.
“I don’t think [Brossoit] will be there the first day on the ice,” Cassidy said. “As camp goes, on he may.”
It’s already an uphill climb for the Golden Knights in net with Robin Lehner out for the entire season. Cassidy had to adjust last year in Boston following Tuukka Rask’s retirement. The Bruins still made the playoffs with a tandem of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark.
Much like those two, don’t be surprised to see a split of starts between whomever is available in net for Vegas.
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
