We are just two days away from opening night and the Vegas Golden Knights are almost there when it comes to finalizing their roster to open 2019-20 with.
The Vegas Golden Knights open the new season against bitter rivals the San Jose Sharks at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. PT) and there are a few final preparations to be made.
What is important to note is the fact that all NHL teams are only allowed to carry a 23-man roster into the regular season, and the deadline to meet that criteria is at 2:00 p.m. PT on Tuesday afternoon.
As it currently stands, the Golden Knights roster is made up of 26 players after defenseman Jake Bischoff and forward Keegan Kolesar were reassigned to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL earlier today, and here is the breakdown:
Goalies
Defense
Jon Merrill
Nic Hague
Forwards
Jonathan Marchessault
Cody Glass
Now, Vegas General Manager Kelly McCrimmon has today confirmed to the media that there will be a couple of roster moves / transactions made before the 2:00 p.m. PT deadline on Tuesday.
🎥 GM Kelly McCrimmon: We've got a little more work to do on our roster, the deadline is 2 PT tomorrow so there will be a couple of small things we'll take care of prior to then. pic.twitter.com/rOdzQw4FSg
— 🏆 - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) September 30, 2019
Here’s a few scenarios when it comes to trimming the roster down from 26 to 23…
- McCrimmon confirmed that rookie defensemen Zach Whitecloud (upper-body injury) can start the year on the Non-Roster Injured Reserve List, and he will play with the Chicago Wolves in the AHL once he’s healthy, so he is likely to be reassigned tomorrow.
- Alex Tuch is currently week-to-week with an upper-body injury sustained late in the preseason and, as a result, he is likely to be placed on the IR to start the season.
- Bottom nine grinder Nicolas Roy is currently on the roster but it looks likely that he could begin 2019-20 in the AHL, especially if Cody Eakin is close to being ready for opening night.
- The battle for the final roster spot on the blueline is now between Jimmy Schuldt and Nic Hague, and it is entirely possible that one of those two rookies could be sent down to the AHL in order to trim the roster down to 23.
- Vegas could of course place Tuch, Eakin and Whitecloud all on the IR and not send anyone down to the AHL, but it doesn’t sound as though it will be as simple as that.
- And it is important to note no players will now have to go through waivers so that will give Vegas and McCrimmon plenty of flexibility when making final roster decisions between now and 2:00 p.m. tomorrow.
If we had to bet, we would say the three most likely roster moves would be to place Tuch on the IR to start the year, place Whitecloud on the Non-Roster Injured Reserve List and, if Cody Eakin isn’t that far off from being healthy, reassign Nicolas Roy to the Chicago Wolves.
While speaking to the media earlier today, McCrimmon revealed a few little nuggets and here are his thoughts on the roster work ahead and Zach Whitecloud:
"“We’re excited to get going on Wednesday. We’ve got a little more work to do on our roster, we did have two transactions this morning, and the deadline is 2:00 p.m. PT tomorrow so there will be a couple of small things that we will take care of prior to then. Any players who may be involved are waiver exempt – we are in the situation now where none of our players would have to go through waivers so that gives us a little more flexibility as we head into opening day. Zach will open on Non-Roster IR and he’ll continue to rehab and recover. When his season begins, it will be in Chicago.”"
And McCrimmon gave his thoughts on rookie phenom Cody Glass, who now appears a lock for the opening night roster following a hugely impressive preseason coupled with the late injuries that have struck the team.
"“With Cody he’s just continued his improvement. It has been a real positive, steady progression for Cody and he had the opportunity in preseason to show his strengths and the things he’s good at. He’s earned a lot of respect from the veteran players, and the coaches get to see his game. Now, with some injuries, that potentially gives some more opportunities. Last night was a chance for him to play with two real good players and he’s able to do that, he’s shown that through preseason. Being part of that opening day roster is pretty special for a first-year player.”"
So, there you have it. By this time tomorrow we will know the full makeup of the opening night roster, which will mean that we are one day closer to the regular season and the long-awaited return of proper hockey. Bring it on!