Golden Knights training camp looked and sounded different when it got underway Thursday at City National Arena.
New faces took the ice. Old faces, who have since moved on to other teams, were nowhere to be found.
What haven’t changed are the Knights’ goals. The team still expects to contend coming off their first-round exit to the Dallas Stars in May, even if the lineup has experienced plenty of turnover.
“I think we have very high hopes,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said.
The Knights lost six players in free agency this offseason. Five played a part in the team’s Stanley Cup championship in 2023, including Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault.
That made for much quieter practice sessions Thursday. But as much as the Knights miss their former teammates, they’re ready to move forward.
“I try to approach every season the same way,” center Jack Eichel said. “We’re all motivated. We have something to prove from the whole group.”
The Knights’ free-agent losses left them with plenty of question marks in camp.
They need to figure out who will take Marchessault’s spot on Eichel’s right wing. They need to learn who will replace Chandler Stephenson as captain Mark Stone’s center. They have to decide who center Tomas Hertl’s linemates will be. And they must replace left wing William Carrier on the fourth line.
Thursday provided the first hints at answers.
Victor Oloffson, who joined the Knights on a one-year deal, got the first crack at skating with Eichel and left wing Ivan Barbashev. Olofsson previously played with Eichel for three years in Buffalo.
Center William Karlsson and left wing Pavel Dorofeyev skated with Stone.
Hertl was put with newcomer Alexander Holtz and Nicolas Roy, who started at third-line right wing instead of his usual position of fourth-line center.
Tanner Pearson, a former Stanley Cup champion who joined the Knights on a professional tryout agreement, got first dibs on Carrier’s old spot.
It’s a lot of change. But the Knights feel they have enough returning talent and chemistry to make the transition from the 2023-24 season to the 2024-25 campaign a smooth one.
“Different people have an opportunity to step up,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “A lot of times, you don’t know who your leaders will be early on. Some guys are naturally born, and some guys are around and develop that.”
The Knights began training camp with 63 players, but their NHL roster should be close to set. They’ll likely carry 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders into their Oct. 9 opener against the Colorado Avalanche.
Those eight defensemen are all but locked in, though there were some intriguing combinations Thursday.
Defenseman Shea Theodore, who has played on the right side throughout much of his Knights’ tenure, started on the left on a pair with Alex Pietrangelo.
Cassidy elected to start defenseman Noah Hanifin with defenseman Nic Hague.
The two played well together before Hague suffered a lower-body injury in Game 1 of the Stars series.
Defensemen Zach Whitecloud and Kaedan Korczak split time on the third pair with veteran Brayden McNabb, indicating the two will compete to be the sixth defenseman in the opening-night lineup. Veteran Ben Hutton is waiting in the wings as well.
“Those are all things that will sort themselves out between now and the ninth of October, and maybe even beyond,” McCrimmon said. “I love our defense, one through eight, not just one or two pairs. I think our defense is really the strength of our team.”
This training camp will be one of the first times since the Knights’ inaugural season that there will be real competition for roster and lineup spots.
There wasn’t much to tinker with last year coming off a Stanley Cup championship. But even if the circumstances are different entering this season, Eichel said the Knights’ vibes remain strong.
“This is an easy place to come to work,” Eichel said. “Everyone comes in and takes care of business, enjoys each other’s company. It’s the same as normal.”
Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
