Man or woman plans. God laughs. Or in this case, it's the Hockey Gods doing the giggling.
Unexpected things happen in sports. Injuries, trades, retirement, regression, suspensions and contract issues can all result in a player missing games or moving on entirely. Opportunity is created and an organization is hopefully in a position to handle new openings.
For the Vegas Golden Knights, there are currently two openings on the blueline due to Nate Schmidt's 20-game suspension and Shea Theodore currently unavailable due to being not under contract.
Top Storylines In 2018-19 Training Camp
Up front, the offseason additions of top talents Paul Stastny and Max Pacioretty have thrown the forwards into a blender. Head coach Gerard Gallant has to sort out his forward lines and determine who he wants on the back end when the regular season breaks.
Whether it's written on paper or a greaseboard or just locked away in his head, Gallant came into training camp with an idea of what his Vegas Golden Knights lineup would look like when the regular season eventually opened. Maybe there was a spot or two which was blurry but for the most part - the head coach knew what he had on his roster and how he planned to deploy his players.
"We've got about 29 players that are fighting for spots but there's probably 20 guys who have got spots locked up already," said Gallant on Tuesday. "That's the way things with every team works."
With two preseason games on the record some early storylines are becoming evident.
Brannstrom's best: Erik Brannstrom has gotten better with every game he's played in the preseason. He's an elite skater with NHL-calibre vision. The ability to skate with his head up and scour the ice for opportunity makes him a rare commodity. He's also a smart defender and can separate the puck from his opponent as well as angle him into non-danger areas. Perhaps most impressive is Brannstrom's ability to retrieve the puck in his own zone and cut off the opposition forecheck before it gets started. Today's game is about possession and Brannstrom's ability to skate back into his own zone and then turn up ice and make a pass or use his legs to create transition for his team is tailor made for what the Golden Knights like to do.
The question of Brannstrom is clearly when and not if will he be an NHL player. And with Schmidt and Theodore not available, as things stand right now, for the beginning of the season, one has to wonder if GM George McPhee won't give Brannstrom an early season look. Stylistically, Brannstrom is the closest thing in the organization to Theodore. Could veteran Deryk Engelland nurse Brannstrom through some early season games?
Brannstrom has stood out so far in two preseason games and it will be interesting to see how he looks as teams begin to ice more veteran lineups closer to the start of the regular season. And while we're on the subject of Brannstrom, Nic Hague could easily fit into this category as well.
Not having Schmidt and Theodore is a negative. They're two of Vegas's best defensemen. But McPhee and Gallant are both big on turning a negative into a positive.
Will and Alex: Wingers Alex Tuch and Will Carrier looked fantastic Tuesday night in Colorado and the concept of a third line with these two on the walls between Cody Eakin is intriguing. Carrier goes to the net with speed and purpose and Tuch is an emerging power forward with the offensive skills to be a consistent point producer in the NHL. They'd be murder on the opposition in the offensive zone and could eat minutes for Gallant against middle six lines. Eakin is a smart player who can skate and is strong defensively.
A wing and a Haula: The prospect of moving from center to the wing likely left Erik Haula with a wrinkle or two in his forehead. He scored 29 goals in the middle last season and proved himself to be a legitimate top six player in the NHL. The arrival of veteran center Paul Stastny, however, gives Gallant the prospect of forming a second line with Haula and Max Pacioretty on the wings.
Haula scored in Tuesday's game taking a tidy feed from Stastny and whipping it home.
The reality is, Stastny will be center in name but the two will share the repsonsibilty. If Haula is first back in the defensive zone - and with his speed this will happen often - he'll take on the defensive responsibilities of the center. It's an advantage for Vegas which is seen on the top line between Reilly Smith, Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson as well. Smith has elite defensive zone instincts and Marchessault is excellent on the draw on the right side of the ice. They do it by committee rather than living under strict positional definitions. Look for Stastny and Haula to do the same.
