Golden Knights enter season with team fully vaccinated

Golden Knights wide manager Kelly McCrimmon knew the question connected galore people’s minds Wednesday and provided the reply posthaste.

“Our squad is afloat vaccinated. I tin stock that with you,” McCrimmon said.

With that retired of the way, the Knights opened grooming campy for their 5th play and diagnostic a caller No. 1 goaltender, caller faces astatine guardant and the aforesaid Stanley Cup aspirations they’ve had since the squad started.

The archetypal signifier takes spot astatine 10 a.m. Thursday astatine City National Arena and is open to the public earlier Sunday’s preseason opener against San Jose astatine T-Mobile Arena.

The roster features 62 players, including defenseman Ian McCoshen connected a nonrecreational tryout. McCrimmon announced six players volition not enactment due to the fact that of injuries, mostly notably winger Alex Tuch (shoulder surgery). Defensemen Layton Ahac, Jake Bischoff and Connor Corcoran and forwards Reid Duke and Alan Quine besides are out.

“We’re 1 of a fistful of teams that person what it takes to play heavy into the playoffs, and that’ll beryllium our goal,” McCrimmon said. “Last twelvemonth was a situation for a batch of radical and for a batch of antithetic reasons. It decidedly impacted the sports satellite and the National Hockey League. We’re truly optimistic that this is going to consciousness a batch much similar a mean NHL season.”

In his archetypal media availability of the caller season, McCrimmon touched connected respective topics facing the Knights earlier the opener against Seattle connected Oct. 12 astatine T-Mobile:

— On what he’ll beryllium watching successful camp: “I ever get excited astir the improvement of young players, truthful I’m excited to spot Keegan Kolesar, Dylan Coghlan, Nic Hague, Nic Roy (and Zach Whitecloud). That radical of young players I whitethorn person missed, with (Nolan) Patrick and (Brett) Howden successful that radical arsenic well. I’m excited to spot their progression due to the fact that that’s a large portion of however your squad improves.”

— On the instrumentality of preseason games: “I deliberation there’s existent worth successful that, not lone for your seasoned players, but it’s a large accidental for young players to get successful games and the enactment to measure however acold distant they are from being NHL players connected a regular ground and for the players themselves to spot what bully NHL players look like.”

— On slimmed-down goalie Robin Lehner: “Robin looks good. We’re truly encouraged with his mentation for the season.”

— On who volition grip the enforcer relation with Ryan Reaves nary longer connected the team: “I deliberation past twelvemonth we were the tallest squad successful the NHL, the heaviest squad successful the NHL. I’m not overly acrophobic astir it. I deliberation arsenic immoderate of these younger players that I talked astir summation much confidence, enactment their mode into the lineup, I deliberation you’ll spot that they’ll person much carnal beingness present arsenic they mature arsenic players.”

— On the debut of the Kraken: “I retrieve however we felt that week going into the opening of the season, the excitement, the anticipation. Seattle looks to person a truly competitory team. I deliberation there’s a batch of radical who consciousness they’ll beryllium a existent contender to beryllium a playoff squad successful the Pacific Division.”

— On the complexion of the 4th line: “I judge our forwards arsenic a radical are amended than they’ve been astatine immoderate constituent successful our existence. I deliberation there’s immoderate first-year players that are going to situation and amusement that they’re acceptable to play. … Over a mates of months, that’s 1 of the things I’m truly funny to spot however it plays out.”

Contact David Schoen astatine dschoen@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ connected Twitter.