September 29th, 2017
1-6-0 Pre Season
With only one win under there belt, the newest team to join the league had trouble scoring goals during the preseason. Albeit they only iced a roster close to opening night against Pittsburgh and that proved to be quite successful. Bobby Ryan found the back of the net twice in that contest and added a helper to boot. Shipachyov, Eakin and Pokka were the only other players to record at least two points in that game. Otherwise the rest of the preseason was fairly quiet.
Subban played one game and was bombarded for 6 goals against vs the Red Wings. Pickard and Grubauer both saw 2 starts, however Grubauer outplayed Pickard by only allowing 3 goals in each of his contests. We assume Grubauer will be backup to Mrazek who saw 3 starts and came up with a big win against Pittsburgh, stopping 21 of 22 shots.
Will Vegas finish dead last in the league? We don`t think so, but will they finish bottom 5? We say yes. Unless management steps in and shakes things up drastically we do not think the Golden Knights will fair well this season.
There have been rumors that GM Dustin has been talking to RW Jiri Hudler and Jerome Iginla. Both seasoned veterans in the NHL, either could add some extra fire power in the top 9. We see a nice fit for Hudler to slot in on a line with former world cup teammate Tomas Plekanec and youngster Dimitrij Jaskin. Despite Hudler`s off season shenanigans of him demanding drugs on a plane from a flight attendant, we believe that Hudler could still contribute to the team offensively. At only 33 years old he still has several years left to give, although he will need to pass a drug test and prove that he is ready to play.
In other news, Jack Johnson strained his foot during preseason and will be held out of the first game and is considered day to day. Also Ryan Strome was injured, but the details have not yet been released. Consider him day to day for now. Shea Theodore also tore his flexor tendon on September 29th and will be sidelined for 3 to 4 months.
Other Injuries
Sami Vatanen - Torn Labrum - Out 2 Weeks
Marian Gaborik - Knee Soreness - Out 4 Weeks
Reid Duke - Seperated Shoulder - Indefinite
Brendan Gaunce - Shoulder Soreness - Out 2 Months
Ryan Strome - Unidentified - Day to Day
Here are the projected lineups for opening night: