The absences of Pavel Dorofeyev and Jeremy Lauzon opens the door for two players

The Vegas Golden Knights received some bad news regarding Pavel Dorofeyev and Jeremy Lauzon. Both players didn't practice on Monday and aren't expected to play in Tuesday's warmup against the Colorado Avalanche.

There's already uncertainty about whether either will play on Wednesday or Friday, according to Bruce Cassidy. That has left a little hole open for players to grab the front office's attention and make their move.

Granted, it won't equal a roster spot in certain cases. The injuries to Dorofeyev and Lauzon aren't too severe, although the winger's injury might force some changes. Aside from that, the overall roster looks relatively healthy and everyone looks ready to go for the upcoming season.

Still, you can't deny that the absences leave room for some players to make an impact. For one, you have Alexander Holtz, who's looking to redeem himself after losing his roster spot last season. The forgotten winger had four goals and eight assists while being sent down to the Henderson Silver Knights in 2024-25.

There's also Ben Hutton, who's been sitting in the seventh defenseman position for so long that he's been forgotten himself. The veteran hasn't had the best preseason with the Golden Knights, yet he looked solid with Kaedan Korczak during Monday's practice. Could he make a late move and sneak in somehow?

Both Ben Hutton and Alexander Holtz won't be in starting roles for the Golden Knights, yet they can't be overlooked

Let's start with Alexander Holtz. As mentioned, he's had a roller coaster ride with the Golden Knights. He went from having a guaranteed third-line spot to being demoted to the Henderson Silver Knights. That has led to Vegas trying to revitalize his career in numerous ways, including giving him the "A" designation against San Jose and reps with Tomas Hertl and Brandon Saad.

His redemption story starts with getting his confidence back as a winger. The Swedish forward has the tools to be an everyday starter for the Golden Knights. It's simply a matter of developing his game and believing he can compete at a high level.

As for Hutton, this could be his chance to finally shine. He's been relegated to being an on-call hockey player that he's never gotten a real chance to excel.

Granted, he's become accustomed to the seventh defenseman role and even flourishes in it. But there could be a case in which he handles a regular starting role fine, too. Therefore, it'll likely be the ol' monotony for the defenseman.

Still, it's a good opportunity for both players to give the front office reasons to keep them around. Vegas is in a salary cap crunch for the next two seasons, leaving them looking for answers. That could mean seeing these two stars in the future.