How will Knights be different next season with Pietrangelo, Hague gone?

The Golden Knights will have two notable absences on their blue line next season.

One will be a key leader that could one day be a Hall of Famer. Another will be a 6-foot-6 homegrown talent that brought toughness and dragged his teammates into the fight.

The Knights defense corps will look different with Alex Pietrangelo stepping away from hockey because of a hip injury and Nic Hague being traded to the Nashville Predators. But general manager Kelly McCrimmon still believes in the group in place.

“I’m satisfied with where we are,” McCrimmon said.

The Knights will need to replace Pietrangelo, who likely will never play again, by committee. That starts with others taking more responsibility in the locker room, as the 35-year-old was an alternate captain throughout his time with the organization.

Defenseman Shea Theodore noted in May that he and defenseman Noah Hanifin, both under contract through the 2031-32 season, will need to make their voices louder.

“With (Hanifin) here, I think we’re going to be a huge part of the group going forward,” Theodore said. “We’re going to have to step up leadership-wise on the ice, try to drive more offense. We’re both big-minute players going forward.”

Time has come

Theodore’s words now seem prophetic.

The Original Misfit has been with the organization from the beginning and is now the clear No. 1 on the Knights blue line. That could lead to some extra duties on the ice.

Pietrangelo led Knights skaters in average time on ice (22:24) last year for the fifth straight season. But Theodore, 29, wasn’t far behind (22:00). The Knights could lean on Theodore even more next year after he scored a career-high 57 points in 67 games.

Hanifin, 28, may be in for a minutes boost as well after ranking third among the team’s skaters last season (21:33). He and Theodore should also be the Knights’ two primary power-play quarterbacks. The two were the team’s most-used defensemen on the man advantage last season, when its 28.3 success rate ranked second in the NHL.

Opportunity knocks

Pietrangelo’s absence means a larger role is coming for Zach Whitecloud, albeit without his longtime partner.

Whitecloud and Hauge have played together since their days in the American Hockey League and were one of the NHL’s best third pairs when the Knights won the Stanley Cup.

But Whitecloud, 28, played well with Hanifin last season and has earned an opportunity to move up the lineup.

“I think (Whitecloud’s) more than ready for that,” McCrimmon said. “I believe that he can do that.”

Whitecloud’s old spot should be filled by Kaedan Korczak, who had 10 assists in 40 games last season. The 24-year-old should enter training camp this fall as one of the Knights’ top six defensemen for the first time.

The team showed its faith in Korczak by signing him to a four-year, $13 million extension Wednesday. Pietrangelo also made sure to give the Knights his stamp of approval.

“It was one of the things Alex brought up in conversations that I had with him, that that’s what he thinks needs to happen,” McCrimmon said. “He thinks (Korczak’s) ready to be a really good NHL player for a long time. So do we. I think he can mature nicely.”

Lauzon’s arrival

The Knights, in return for trading Hague to the Predators, got back center Colton Sissons and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon.

Lauzon, 28, brings a clear style to the table. He has 760 hits the last three seasons, the eighth-most in the NHL in that span. Lauzon, who is listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, also had three fights in 28 games last year.

“A very well-defined player,” McCrimmon said. “Hard to play against, can take matchups, a lot of defensive-zone starts. I think that he’ll bring that ingredient to our defense.”

The Knights don’t appear to be in a rush to make any additional moves on the blue line. They were linked to Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson this offseason, but nothing came of it. The Knights used most of their cap space to make other moves.

The team, after adding right wing Mitch Marner in a sign-and-trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, has $1.986 million in spending power remaining with 12 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders under contract. Andersson, 28, has a $4.55 million cap hit and is entering the last year of his deal.

The Knights seem content to see if Whitecloud and Korczak can grow into their new roles instead. McCrimmon likened their promotions to that of right wing Pavel Dorofeyev, who scored a team-high 35 goals last season after becoming a lineup regular for the first time.

“Sometimes you need that opportunity to take a step. You have to be ready for it if the opportunity comes, or you don’t get to keep it,” McCrimmon said. “There’s a little more opportunity back there for some guy that I think will step into it.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.