Golden Knights' Gallant coy on odd lineup: 'There will be 20 guys that play'
The pieces aren't quite in place just yet.
Vegas Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant led his team through the morning skate in advance of their inaugural game Friday in Dallas against the Stars, but with an interesting balance of players at his disposal.
Of the 23 players currently on the roster, nine are defensemen, while the forward lines are missing a few preseason standouts, namely Vadim Shipachyov, Tomas Hyka, and Alex Tuch.
Morning Lines
- Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 6, 2017
Smith-Marchessault-Lindberg
Perron-Eakin-Neal
Karlsson-Haula-Leipsic
Nosek-Bellemare-Carrier
One is not like the others"
Gallant didn't let on when asked about the lineup, simply saying, "There's going to be 20 guys that play."
Twenty would suggest both goalies see some action, as 12 forwards and six defenseman dress. Perhaps Gallant's math was off as he announced the plan is for Marc-Andre Fleury to start in net. Malcolm Subban will serve as backup after Calvin Pickard cleared waivers.
Along with Shipachyov and Tuch, defenseman Shea Theodore is in limbo, seemingly primed to take a prominent role on the blue line but able to be sent to the AHL - where's he's listed now - without having to go through waivers.
As a result, here's what Gallant is left to work with:
Defensive pairings
- SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) October 6, 2017
Miller-Garrison
Engelland-McNabb
Schmidt-Sbisa
Hunt, Merrill, Reinhart healthy scratched. Yes, they have 9 defensemen.
More will become clear if and when general manager George McPhee is able to trade a defenseman or two, but in the meantime, the Knights' lineup is less than golden.
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