Vegas Golden Knights | Survive while waiting for Eichel (and the others)

With the acquisition of Jack Eichel earlier this week, the Vegas Golden Knights are positioning themselves, more than ever, as very serious contenders for the Stanley Cup.

Simon-Olivier Lorange
Press

The problem, and it’s big, is that the center player, one of the best in his profession, won’t be wearing the black and gold uniform for quite a while. An operation on the neck, during which a cervical disc will be replaced, will require him to recover from three to five months. This means that his new teammates will have to play 40 to 60 games without him.

The striker Reilly Smith did not exaggerate anything when he recalled, Saturday morning, that the Eichel era, “it is not for now”.

The other problem, and it is not trivial either, is that Eichel will find important people in the Knights infirmary. Max Pacioretty broke a foot in the second game of the season and he is not expected to return until December. That same evening, Mark Stone fell in battle. His “lower body” injury is improving and he has started skating again, but he is not yet ready to play. William Karlsson also suffered a broken foot last week. He is predicted to be away from four to six weeks.

It is therefore with a decimated attack that the Knights will have to defend themselves by the end of the year 2021. Several players have thus obtained promotions, starting with Nicolas Roy and William Carrier. The first pilot now the first trio between Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith. As for the second, here he is on the left wing of the second unit, with Chandler Stephenson and Evgeni Dadonov. With all due respect for the two Quebeckers, these are not exactly the positions that suit their profile at this point in their careers.

A change in philosophy was therefore necessary for the team whose attack was the third most lethal in the NHL last season. We now prioritize the defensive game, period.

“You have to win 2 to 1,” Carrier said after his team’s morning training. We’re not afraid of that. The offensive will come later. We keep a good group, we have enough depth. We will be fine to survive during the injuries. ”

All this in order to “get as many points as possible,” added Roy.

Although the team has always been careful with their defensive play, “injuries created the obligation” to correct certain details quickly to “give themselves a chance to win,” added head coach Peter DeBoer.

Smith spoke of the goal of securing at least two wins on this four-game trip. Half the goal is achieved: after a thaw in Toronto (4-0), the Knights let off steam in Ottawa (5-1). They are now preparing to face the Canadian and the Detroit Red Wings, two teams in difficulty.

Mixed reactions

Since the deal that brought Jack Eichel to Vegas, Knights players have made few appearances to the media.

The opportunity was therefore dreamed, Saturday morning, to take the pulse of the locker room about the arrival of a (another) star player in the group. However, the sample of players interviewed left a mixed impression.

We can immediately include the name of Nicolas Roy in the camp of optimists. Smiling, he spontaneously underlined how “happy” he was to count on a player of this caliber on his team. “It’s a super nice addition,” he said.

In the days leading up to the exchange, he and his teammates saw the rumors circulating, although they were not sure if they were true. “A guy of his caliber, we wanted to have him!” “Confirms Roy, who nevertheless mentions that the excitement gave way to a” mixture of emotions “at the idea of ​​seeing Peyton Krebs, one of the organization’s top prospects, as well as Alex Tuch, member. of the Knights since joining the NHL in 2017.

DeBoer agreed: “We know that we are adding an important part” which “brings the organization closer to a conquest of the Stanley Cup”.

Seeing Tuch and Krebs leave was “a difficult decision”, but he sees it as a must for anyone who aspires to top honors. He cited the Tampa Bay Lightning as an example, “a team that also moved to finally win.”

William Carrier, he played a season with Eichel in the Buffalo Sabers. He therefore does not have to be convinced of the quality of the hockey player, who “will fit well with our training”, in his opinion.

On the other hand, given the salary situation of the Knights, “we did not expect it”, he confessed.

Well seen. When the team is healthy, including Eichel and his annual 10 million, the Knights will certainly have to drop ballast to meet the salary cap.

DeBoer doesn’t care. “I was a math dunce at school, so I didn’t do the math,” he laughed. I leave that to other people on the team. ”

Other “difficult decisions” are still to be expected in the coming months.

Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith and Evgeni Dadonov, who each earn 5 million, are most likely to pack their bags. Smith probably more than the other two, since he will become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Under these circumstances, it was hardly surprising to see the left winger take a long break before answering the first question about Eichel’s arrival.

“We have to focus on what we are doing at the moment, with the players we have, to be in good shape when our injuries come back to training,” he said.

Ideally for him and his team, it would start with a victory on Saturday night against the Canadiens at the Bell Center.

The meeting between the Canadian and the Knighs will begin at 7 p.m. Robin Lehner will be the starting goalie in front of the visitors’ net.