Golden Knights season preview: No. 1 goalie choice looming

The 2020-21 NHL season is scheduled to begin Jan. 13. With training camps underway, NHL.com is taking a look at the three keys, the inside scoop on roster questions, and the projected lines for each of the 31 teams. Today, the Vegas Golden Knights, who will play in the West Division.

Coach: Peter DeBoer (second season)
Last season: 39-24-8 (.606 points percentage); third place in Western Conference, lost to Dallas Stars in Western Conference Final

3 KEYS

1. No. 1 goalie decision
The Golden Knights enter the season with two No. 1 goalies: Robin Lehner and Marc-Andre Fleury. That means they enter the season with questions. How will they divide playing time? Will they rotate the goalies to keep each fresh because of the condensed schedule, or will they ride whoever is hot, playing fewer games with less travel? Will Fleury, who lost the No. 1 job to Lehner in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, be traded at some point?
2. Center depth
This is the big question mark after the trade of Paul Stastny to the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 9 to make room under the NHL salary cap ($81.5 million) for the signing of defenseman Alex Pietrangelo as an unrestricted free agent Oct. 12. William Karlsson remains the No. 1 center. After that, Cody Glass and Chandler Stephenson are being counted on to replace Stastny's production (38 points in 71 games last season). Glass has scored 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 39 NHL games, and the 21-year-old hasn't played since Feb. 20, 2020, when he sustained a knee injury in the American Hockey League that required season-ending surgery. Stephenson has never scored more than 11 goals or 26 points in an NHL season.
3. Coaching adjustments
Peter DeBoer, hired Jan. 15, 2020, has a .558 winning percentage in the playoffs, second to Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning (.581) among active NHL coaches with more than 17 games. The 56-game regular season will be similar to the playoffs, with Vegas playing each division opponent eight times, and preparing for the playoffs, with the first two rounds within the division. DeBoer must use his X's and O's against his division rivals and get Vegas, which scored 12 goals and outshot the opposition 293-172 in its last eight playoff games last season, to adjust its style to score more in the postseason.

ROSTER RUNDOWN

Making the cut
The intrigue surrounds the salary cap more than position battles. General manager Kelly McCrimmon said Vegas was over the cap entering training camp but added, "There's a number of ways that we can sort this out." The other issue is what to do with a player like center Peyton Krebs, the No. 17 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. The Golden Knights want the 19-year-old playing games, but after playing for Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, will he end up on the taxi squad, at least for a while, depending on how the coronavirus pandemic affects other leagues?
Most intriguing addition
Pietrangelo was the prize in free agency. The 30-year-old spent 12 seasons with the St. Louis Blues and won the Stanley Cup as their captain in 2019. He has never been a finalist for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the best defenseman in the NHL, but has finished fourth in the voting by the Professional Hockey Writers Association twice (2012, 2020) and fifth once (2014). His 16 goals last season set an NHL career high, even though he played 70 games. His 0.74 points per game also set an NHL career high.
Biggest potential surprise
Though Stephenson has never produced big offensive numbers in five NHL seasons, he could have the chance to do it this season. He might play on the second line with Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone, Vegas' two leading scorers last season, or the third line with a forward like Alex Tuch, who scored 20 goals in 2018-19 and has the potential to score at a higher pace.
Ready to break through
Alhough Glass didn't produce big offensive numbers and sustained a knee injury last season, he has high-end talent and used his rehab time to add size and strength. He was the No. 6 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, making him the first, and highest, draft pick in Vegas history. With Portland of the Western Hockey League from 2016-19, he scored 265 points (84 goals, 181 assists) in 171 games. Pacioretty already has raved about his on-ice intelligence.
Fantasy sleeper
Tuch (LW/RW; average draft position: 162.8), who scored an NHL career-high 52 points (20 goals, 32 assists) in 2018-19 but missed significant time because of injury last season, should take a bigger step forward this season. He had a solid 2020 postseason, leading the Golden Knights with eight goals and scoring 12 points in 20 games. Vegas is deep at wing, leaving Tuch likely on the third line to start the season, but there should be plenty of opportunity to produce. He is a solid bench option in standard fantasy leagues and could have a breakout season with a top-six and/or first power-play role. -- Rob Reese
Projected lineup
Jonathan Marchessault -- William Karlsson -- Reilly Smith
Max Pacioretty -- Cody Glass -- Mark Stone
Nicolas Roy -- Chandler Stephenson -- Alex Tuch
William Carrier -- Tomas Nosek -- Ryan Reaves
Brayden McNabb -- Alex Pietrangelo
Alec Martinez -- Shea Theodore
Nick Holden -- Zach Whitecloud
Robin Lehner
Marc-Andre Fleury