Overview
- The club promoted Ryan Craig to head coach and is relying on his long experience inside the organization to speed the transition during a tight training window.
- Trading Pavel Dorofeyev to the Rangers left a 37-goal hole that Vegas plans to fill through broader scoring from stars and depth players rather than a single replacement.
- General manager Kelly McCrimmon declined to add a veteran starter and will keep Carter Hart as the primary goalie while hoping Adin Hill can rebound and Carl Lindbom continues to develop.
- Rookie Trevor Connelly suffered a hit at the Rookie Challenge and his uncertain availability reduces the limited time coaches have to evaluate prospects in a four-game preseason.
- The team locked in its core with multi-year extensions for Rasmus Andersson, Mark Stone and Braeden Bowman, a move that preserves continuity but raises concerns about age, injury risk and depth across a longer regular season.