Feeling the high of VGK Fan Fest, I got myself up for the 11 AM Vegas Golden Knights practice. It's always fun going to the practices to watch the players interact with each other before trying for another Stanley Cup.
During this practice, I decided to observe things closer than before. That meant looking closer at which players were moving closer to being regular season stars. Of course, you had your usual suspects, including Jack Eichel (pay the man), Mark Stone, and Tomas Hertl.
While those are easy storylines to latch onto, others deserve some attention. After all, hockey isn't a one-man sport. What fun would that be if one man ruled the roost for the franchise? That's almost tyrannical behavior.
So, allow me to regale you with three personal observations from Monday's practices. These storylines should be on your radar as the season progresses, where you have a better grasp of where everyone stands in 2025-26.
1.) Pavel Dorofeyev looks good
There's been a great deal of speculation about the Russian winger's health before the 2025-26 season starts. Like Jack Eichel, Dorofeyev suffered some minor setbacks that kept him out of commission for much of the preseason. However, he skated at practice on Monday without any restrictions, indicating that he's back and better than ever.
That's good news for the Golden Knights, who's entering the 2025-26 season at full health. You'd want your top stars to be at maximum capacity before the season starts, especially since Bruce Cassidy's clubs are known for getting off on hot starts. Luckily, having reinforcements like Dorofeyev helps.
2.) The Vegas Golden Knights veterans look ready to go
Do you know that feeling when you're at work on a Friday and you're just waiting for the final hours to pass by? You're sitting at your desk, texting your friends about your weekend plans or how much football you're going to watch. Well, that was the case for the Golden Knights veterans throughout the preseason.
You might've noticed there were no first-period goals throughout the preseason for Vegas. That partially came from a lack of care from the veteran group, who was looking to just get to October 8 against the Los Angeles Kings.
The boys were up to their spirited selves, cracking jokes and woo-ing after every big goal. Guess what? Regular season hockey's only two days away, folks.
3.) The top line might take some time to grow
As is with everything new, it might take some time to get through the "growing pain" stages for Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner. The duo looks fast on the ice together while setting up some breathtaking plays. However, fans shouldn't be surprised if there's some growing involved between the two megastars.
Part of that comes with the question of, "Who'll shoot the puck?" Ironically, Eichel was the second-highest shooter on the team last season with 233 shots. Therefore, he's likely to unleash the slathering of pucks onto the net. But it could be some ironing out before the superstar gets into a groove for Vegas.