Golden Knights’ ‘bubble’ players trying to make impression
For a few of the Golden Knights, the opportunities to make a positive impression are dwindling to a precious few.
There’s Thursday’s preseason game at T-Mobile Arena against Colorado. There’s Sunday’s preseason finale vs. San Jose at T-Mobile and a couple of practices at City National Arena. If you haven’t done enough by then to convince general manager George McPhee that you deserve to be on the plane to Dallas for next Friday’s season opener, your fate has probably been sealed.
Defenseman Griffin Reinhart can do the math. The 24-year-old has performed well at times during the preseason. But is it enough? There’s still 11 defensemen on the roster and only seven, possibly eight will make it.
“I’ve been in this situation the last few years,” said Reinhart, who has been shuttled between the NHL and the AHL with both the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers. “I think I’ve played well here, but it’s hard to tell what they’re thinking.”
McPhee said he knows about the logjam and he’s addressing it. He has had conversations with other teams about possible trades, but no deals likely will get done until early next week. The Knights must finalize their 23-man roster by Tuesday.
“We’ll play through the weekend and see how things go,” McPhee said.hese players are all pros. They understand what’s at stake and that they’re competing for jobs.
“It can be a difficult time. If you want to be an NHL player, you’re going to go through an endless series of tests your entire career. You’re never at a point where you made it and you coast. That’s part of being a pro.”
The team also has a surplus of forwards. Brendan Leipsic has appeared in one preseason, at Vancouver on Sept. 17. He was injured in the warmups at San Jose Sept. 21, bruising his shoulder and missing five days of practice. Leipsic was back skating with the team Wednesday but his sample size so far has been small.
“I hope they’ve seen what I can do in practice and before I got hurt and why they selected me from Toronto (in the expansion draft),” he said. “All I can do is control how I play when I get the chance.”
William Karlsson’s position appears less precarious. The forward who was selected from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the expansion draft has appeared in two of the five preseason games and his self-evaluation of his play produced a mixed bag.
“I thought I played well in San Jose,” he said. “In Anaheim, I thought I could have been more involved with the puck.
“Overall, it’s been a good experience here. Each day, I feel more comfortable with the guys. But it’s been a huge difference in the short time we’ve been together (in training camp).”
Coach Gerard Gallant said no matter what ultimately happens with the final roster, those that don’t start the season with the Knights won’t be forgotten.
“You’ll probably see a lot of different roster moves during the first couple of weeks,” Gallant said. “There’s 30 guys working hard to make the hockey team. Every practice, every scrimmage, every exhibition game, you’re always evaluating.”
Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow @stevecarprj on Twitter.