It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these, so welcome back to the mailbag.
Training camp is underway and the Golden Knights are less than 24 hours away from playing their first preseason game. The Vancouver Canucks will be welcoming hosts, and then we should all expect some sort of beatdown.
We asked you for your questions, and we greatly appreciate your patronage in responding. Be on the lookout for these requests going forward and you can be featured.
From Twitter, @pucklover66: Any idea what the lineup will be?
More than likely, we’re not going to know exactly who will play in Vancouver on Sunday. What we can say for certain is don’t expect the veterans to play until later in the preseason. These first few games are going to feature the prospects and bubble players. There’s no need to run the veterans out there because there’s nothing to play for. We’ll know specifics before the puck drops Sunday, but expect the prospects to take up the majority of playing time.
Update at time of publish: The roster is live.
From Twitter, @DylanshawDylan: What kind of role do you see Shea Theodore playing? Will he be a regular in the NHL?
Theodore has been one of my favorite players to watch and he’ll be one of the guys starting at Vancouver. Watching him up close, he’s very quick to the puck and is very physical along the boards. He’s also shown willingness to be active in the offensive zone and even create while controlling the puck. Again, he’s the guy the Golden Knights received in hopes of not taking Josh Manson or Sami Vatanen. He’s thought of highly in the organization and is thought of as a cornerstone for the future. He should start on opening night, and he’ll be a great player for the Golden Knights to build around.
From Twitter, from a bunch of you: Is Cody Glass going to play in the NHL this year?
Let me preface with this: Cody Glass looks really, really, really good right now. There was a point where Nick Suzuki and Erik Brannstrom stole the prospect spotlight and Glass was playing second fiddle. Glass has been the star. He’s so smooth with the puck and is such a dynamic playmaker. His success in the second scrimmage against the Kings has carried over to training camp, and he’s looked like the best player on the roster at points. So, here’s the caveat: He’s 18 years old, and this is not a Connor McDavid/Auston Matthews situation. Glass could very well play the minimum games allotted before his entry-level contract kicks in, but I just can’t see Vegas rushing that process. Same goes for Suzuki and Brannstrom. The Golden Knights are not going to win much this year, so it’s not fair to bestow the label of ‘difference maker’ on Glass. Personally, I’d love to see him on the main roster at some point this year. I just don’t think the organization is going to go in that direction.
From Facebook, Josh Turner: Will Marc-Andre Fleury be around after two years?
This was actually a question I brought up on our podcast, and it’s an interesting thought. Say Fleury has two solid years with Vegas — they’re not winning a lot of games, but Fleury is doing enough on his part. At age 35 come November two years from now, is Fleury the right goaltender to invest in the twilight years of his career? Surely not at $5 million a year, he can’t be. I think if he has a solid two years in Vegas, Fleury needs to come back. He’s the face of the franchise, and in a situation where you need notable faces (no matter how bad you play), he’s essential to the early development of the Golden Knights franchise, not just the team. Unless another Matt Murray comes through the door to take Fleury’s job, I don’t see anyone threatening that, not even Calvin Pickard. He’s too important to lose, even if it’s two years from now.
From Twitter, @CWinnebago: Would you rather have leg-sized fingers or finger-sized wings?
I assume we’re discussing chicken here. If so, leg-sized fingers all day. Wings are already finger-sized, and you’re not giving me an exact amount of wings I can get. However, a leg-sized finger gives me the flexibility to either eat it all in one setting, or save some and have it for a meal later. I love chicken fingers so I hope you meant that for fingers. Yum … Going to make food, brb.