Golden Knights begin season with special lineup
The lineup card coach Bruce Cassidy submitted for the Golden Knights’ season opener Tuesday was special.
The Knights became the first team since the 2012-13 Los Angeles Kings to start a season icing only players who had their names etched on the Stanley Cup the previous summer. All 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders contributed to the team’s championship run.
The roster composition speaks to the job president of hockey operations George McPhee and general manager Kelly McCrimmon did this summer to retain the Knights’ core. The only player who appeared in the Stanley Cup Final for the team and did not return was left wing Reilly Smith, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Left wing Paul Cotter got the first crack at replacing Smith on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken at T-Mobile Arena. The 23-year-old, who scored 13 goals in 55 games as a rookie last season, skated on the third line with center William Karlsson and right wing Michael Amadio.
“He deserves it,” right wing Jonathan Marchessault said. “He worked hard and definitely happy (for him). That’s what you want in our team. Some healthy internal competition.”
Cotter’s inclusion in the opening-night lineup was one of a number of roster decisions the Knights needed to make.
They will start with 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders. The fifth and sixth defensemen are veteran Ben Hutton and 24-year-old Brayden Pachal with defensemen Alec Martinez and Zach Whitecloud on injured reserve with upper-body injuries.
Left wing Pavel Dorofeyev, who competed with Cotter for the spot on Karlsson’s wing, is one of the team’s extras. So is defense prospect Kaedan Korczak, who played 10 games for the Knights last season.
The third extra is forward prospect Jakub Demek. He only signed his entry-level contract Sunday, but putting him on the roster at first helps the Knights maximize cap space with goaltender Robin Lehner beginning the season on long-term injured reserve.
To almost drive that point home, Demek wasn’t present at the team’s first morning skate of the regular season Tuesday.
One player who did not make the cut is left wing Maxime Comtois. The 24-year-old skated with the Knights in camp on a professional tryout agreement, but the team did not sign him to a contract.
Cassidy said the decision was made in part because Cotter and Dorofeyev performed well during the preseason.
“We’re happy with where their game is, and there’s just only so much room,” Cassidy said.
Knights show off acting chops
It turns out that Marchessault and center Jack Eichel’s chemistry carries over off the ice.
The two took their comedy skills to TV by filming one of ESPN’s iconic “This is SportsCenter” commercials, which was unveiled Tuesday.
The 15-second spot features Marchessault and Eichel in full gear putting the Stanley Cup in a dishwasher. The two filmed it in Los Angeles, and said there were a lot of versions of the ad that ended up on the cutting room floor.
“‘This is SportsCenter’ has got a great history of commercials, and they always do a great job with it,” said Eichel, who was also a halftime guest on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcast for the Raiders’ win against the Packers. “Just be a part of it was pretty cool. Me and Marchy, I thought we did a good job. Don’t have too much acting experience, but it was pretty fun.”
It’s not the only time Marchessault has put his on-screen talents on display. The Knights released their latest “This is the Golden Age” promo Thursday, featuring the Conn Smythe winner almost buying a “C” for his jersey before captain Mark Stone sneaks up behind him.
The "C" is for "Conn Smythe" 🙃
This is #TheGoldenAge 😃 pic.twitter.com/cohYDfRBMJ
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 5, 2023
“That was funny,” Marchessault said. “You’ve got to give credit to our marketing group, right? They’ve been so good in the past few years.”
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on X.