Golden Knights training camp preview

With training camps set to begin on July 13 as part of Phase 3 of the NHL Return to Play Plan, NHL.com is taking a closer look at each of the 24 teams in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.

Today, the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Vegas Golden Knights were 39-24-8 (.606 points percentage) during the regular season and will play in the round-robin portion of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers in the Western Conference against the St. Louis Blues (42-19-10, .662), Colorado Avalanche (42-20-8, .657) and Dallas Stars (37-24-8, .594) to determine seeding for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Golden Knights replaced coach Gerard Gallant with Peter DeBoer on Jan. 15 and were on an 11-2-0 run before the NHL season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

"We were starting to click pretty good," defenseman Brayden McNabb said. "[Training camp is] going to be important for us to get refreshed into the system and get our legs under us."

Vegas retains many of the "Golden Misfits" selected in or acquired in trades at the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, including goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, defensemen Nate Schmidt and Shea Theodore, center William Karlsson, and forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith. But the Golden Knights have added difference makers, including forwards Max Pacioretty (in a trade from the Montreal Canadiens on Sept. 10, 2018), who led them in goals (32) and points (66) in 71 games before the pause, and Mark Stone (in a trade from the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 25, 2019), who scored 63 points (21 goals, 42 assists) in 65 games.

Vegas came within three wins of a championship in its inaugural season of 2017-18, losing to the Washington Capitals in five games in the Stanley Cup Final, and made the playoffs last season, losing to the San Jose Sharks in seven games in the Western Conference First Round.

Player to watch

Stone led the Golden Knights in goals (six) and points (12) in the playoffs last season and was leading them in scoring this season before he sustained a lower-body injury; he has not played since Feb. 26. He is an elite two-way forward and a leader on a team that has not named a captain.

Biggest question

How will DeBoer handle the goalies? Fleury has been the face of the franchise since the expansion draft and played a large role in the run to the Cup Final in 2018. But Vegas acquired Robin Lehner on Feb. 24 in a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs (who acquired him earlier in the day in a trade from the Chicago Blackhawks), giving them two potential starters. Fleury was 27-16-5 with a 2.77 goals-against average and .905 save percentage before the pause. Lehner was 19-10-5 with a 2.89 GAA and .920 save percentage, including 3-0-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .940 save percentage with Vegas. Fleury's 5-on-5 save percentage was .915; Lehner's was .922.

Injury updates

Mark Stone, F -- Healthy after missing the final six games before the pause with a lower-body injury.

Max Pacioretty, F -- Healthy after sustaining a lower-body injury against the Edmonton Oilers on March 9.

Alex Tuch, F -- Healthy after missing the final 12 games with a lower-body injury.

Fresh face

Alec Martinez, acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 19, adds experience and championship experience. The defenseman won the Stanley Cup twice with Los Angeles (2012 and 2014). He scored eight points (two goals, six assists) in 10 games with the Golden Knights after scoring eight (one goal, seven assists) in 41 games with the Kings this season.

Telling stat

Vegas led the NHL in 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage (54.8 percent), a proxy for puck possession.

They said it

"I want to compete for the Stanley Cup. I want to play hockey. I want to get back to work, and ultimately, I want to entertain people. Everybody that I hear or see, all they're talking about in this city especially is, 'When are you guys going to play? We want to watch you guys play.'" -- forward Mark Stone

Projected lineup

Max Pacioretty -- William Karlsson -- Mark Stone

Jonathan Marchessault -- Paul Stastny -- Reilly Smith

Nick Cousins -- Chandler Stephenson -- Alex Tuch

William Carrier -- Nicolas Roy -- Ryan Reaves

Brayden McNabb -- Nate Schmidt

Alec Martinez -- Shea Theodore

Nick Holden -- Zach Whitecloud

Marc-Andre Fleury

Robin Lehner