Depth Beyond The Starting Lineup

Any preview of the upcoming season for the Golden Knights will include the new-look forward lines and reworked defense without Alex Pietrangelo. But every Golden Knights fan knows it’ll take more than the first 12 forwards and six defensemen for this year’s team to have success.

Here’s how we expect the Golden Knights to roll out their starting lineup for Opening Night, assuming everyone currently on the roster is available to play.

Barbashev-Eichel-Marner
Smith-Karlsson-Stone
Saad-Hertl-Dorofeyev
Howden-Sissons-Kolesar

McNabb-Theodore
Hanifin-Whitecloud
Lauzon-Korczak

There will be injuries over the course of the season, and these are the players who will be asked to step in and step up.

Forwards

Cole Schwindt
Schwindt was acquired on waivers on October 8th last year from Calgary and he remained on the NHL roster for the entire rest of the season. He appeared in 42 games, mostly as a 4th line center, and scored eight points, including one empty-net goal. Schwindt’s game is far from flashy, but he’s trustworthy, especially in a defensive role. With Colton Sissons likely claiming the 4th line center role this season, Schwindt will likely be the first center called to action if one goes down. It’s unlikely he’ll ever become a true impact top-six player, but a guy like Schwindt is perfect to plug in and allow a guy like Brett Howden to be elevated up the lineup.

Tanner Laczynski
One of the standouts of Training Camp last season, the Illinois native has a bit more of a scoring touch than he’s shown in the NHL to this point in his career. He has just three goals in 46 games and just one in his eight-game stint with VGK, but he has scored plenty in the AHL. He was never really given a chance to play an elevated role in the Vegas lineup due to injuries he suffered early in the season. If he gets the chance, especially if it’s alongside a player like Mitch Marner or Mark Stone, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him flash.

Raphael Lavoie
Like Schwindt, Lavoie was claimed by the Golden Knights early last season, but due to some odd waiver machinations, he had cleared waivers and was assigned to Henderson. Weirdly, this ruined any chance for him to make a real impact in the NHL. The Golden Knights knew if he played enough to require waivers again, they’d probably lose him. So, he only appeared in nine games and spent much of the year in the AHL. He’ll be given a much better look in Training Camp this season, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he vaults up to VGK’s 13th (if not 12th) forward spot. Talent, size, skating ability, the guy has all of it; he may just need an extended look. He was never going to get it last year, this year if he has the right stuff in Training Camp, he’ll get his chance.

Cole Reinhardt
A former Brandon Wheat King, Reinhardt appeared in 17 games in the NHL last season with the Ottawa Senators. He averaged just 8:12 a night and played in a bottom-six checking role. That’s likely where he’d find his way into the VGK lineup as well, but unlike Laczynski and Lavoie, he’s an experienced penalty killer who could absolutely step into a kill in the NHL. Don’t bank on Reinhardt making much noise in Training Camp or even early in the season in the AHL, but if VGK lose a guy like Reilly Smith, Reinhardt could be a good temporary fill-in.

Defensemen

Ben Hutton

You probably know who Ben Hutton is, so I’ll keep this quick. Hutton has a lot more offensive ability than most give him credit (or his stats in the NHL show). He’s an awesome guy to have around the locker room, and he’s shown the unique ability to be able to go from months of healthy scratch to playing at his peak level instantly.

Dylan Coghlan

The only defenseman in Golden Knights history to score a hat trick is back in the fold after being traded to Carolina to help VGK shed Max Pacioretty’s contract. He has not gotten much of a chance since, just 24 games in three seasons with the Canes and Jets, but he’s a great right-handed puck-moving option that has been missing from the depth group recently. Coghlan has the ability and familiarity with Vegas to possibly push a player like Hutton, Jeremy Lauzon, or even Kaedan Korczak down the depth chart with a big preseason. He’s going to need to score goals, like Brad Hunt in 2017 or Daniil Miromanov in 2021.

Christoffer Sedoff

Probably the most under-the-radar prospect in the Golden Knights system, the undrafted 23-year-old from Finland has shown some real talent in Henderson since arriving two seasons ago. He’s big, he’s an excellent skater, and his poise in difficult situations stands out among the helter-skelter nature of AHL games. The log jam in front of him, combined with his age, will likely stand as obstacles too tall to overcome anytime soon, but VGK’s history with undrafted defensemen is strong, and he’s definitely the next in line.