Training camp is done for the Vegas Golden Knights, and the clock is already moving fast.
After Friday’s final camp practice, Vegas has just one preseason game left before the regular season opens Tuesday, leaving a veteran group little time to fine-tune things before the games count. Forward Brett Howden said that kind of shortened runway makes the early part of the season especially important.
“The most guys play is two games in preseason for vets, so it's not many games,” Howden said. “This organization has had a history of coming out good out of the gates and having a good start to the season, and I think that's really key for us.”
The Golden Knights’ first extended look at many of their veterans came Thursday in a 5-4 overtime win over the Utah Mammoth. Howden said the group was still sorting out its timing early, but improved as the game went on.
That’s the challenge of preseason, though this year the margin for ironing things out is even smaller.
“Unlike when these guys have normally played their first exhibition game, they don't have 10 more days,” Craig said. “We've got one more exhibition game, we'll get one more practice on Monday, and we're playing for real on Tuesday.”
Vegas gets that last exhibition chance Saturday against the San Jose Sharks, and it could be the clearest look yet at the lineup the Golden Knights will use on opening night. Craig said the team is trending toward dressing a group “fairly close” to its regular-season opening lineup, and he expects San Jose to do the same with many of its NHL players.
“It might be, you know, as close as we're going to get in an exhibition season to an NHL game,” Craig said.
Saturday is also another important step for 20-year-old Trevor Connelly, who made his preseason debut at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday. The 2024 first-round pick has stayed with the Golden Knights through the end of his first NHL training camp and has earned chances next to several established veterans.
“As the camp's progressed, his level, like the guys that are all still here, has continued to get better,” Craig said.
After Saturday’s game, Vegas will have one more practice Monday.
Then, as Howden put it, “the real fun begins.”
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Three Golden Knights Still Have Something To Prove Before Final Cuts
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Adin Hill, Alexander Holtz and Rasmus Andersson are the three who stand out here, each carrying a different kind of pressure as the preseason winds down. Their recent play has put them under the microscope, and with final cuts looming, the last exhibition is less about getting through the schedule and more about showing the staff enough to make the call an easy one. [Read more 🡒]
Adin Hill Adds To Golden Knights Concerns As Final Cuts Loom
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The bigger concern, though, is in goal, where Adin Hill had a rough outing in a recent preseason game at a time when the Golden Knights could use calm and clarity. Preseason results do not always carry over, but with opening night looming and roster decisions nearing, Hills form is one of the details Vegas will be watching closely as it tries to settle the final pieces of its lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Face One Big Problem In Dylan Larkin Pursuit
Dylan Larkins name is suddenly in play again, and that alone is enough to get attention in Vegas. The former Red Wings captain has asked out in Detroit, and with his list of preferred destinations reportedly widened to include the Golden Knights, the fit is obvious on paper. He brings real scoring punch, plenty of pace and the kind of top-line presence that can change the look of an attack in a hurry.
For the Golden Knights, though, the appeal comes with the familiar catch of life under the salary cap. Any serious pursuit would force them to weigh the price against roster flexibility, and that is where a promising idea gets complicated fast. Vegas would have to decide whether adding Larkin is the kind of move that pushes a contender closer to another run, or the kind that creates a new problem while trying to solve an old one. [Read more 🡒]