LAS VEGAS — It was time to get back on the ice Thursday as the Vegas Golden Knights opened their training camp at City National Arena in what will be a three-day merry-go-round leading up to the preseason opener Sunday in San Jose against the Sharks.

Of course, all eyes are on Mitch Marner, the pricey acquisition from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Who will the forward play with? Will it be Jack Eichel? Could it be Tomas Hertl? Perhaps even William Karlsson?

Knowing coach Bruce Cassidy, look for it to be a very fluid situation that will play itself out over time. Marner could find himself interacting with all three at one point or another.

And while Eichel has not re-upped long-term to remain in Las Vegas, both he and general manager Kelly McCrimmon have gone on the record saying they want it to happen. The hockey world is more fixated on Connor McDavid remaining in Edmonton so Eichel may fly under the radar in that regard.

“We have tremendous regard for the player, what he’s meant to the organization,” McCrimmon said of Eichel prior to the first session Thursday morning. “I think he feels the organization has been very good for him, as well. We’ll continue to have dialogue and when we have news, we’ll let you know.”

Eichel, who skated in the first part of practice with the first group, did not participate in the second half of practice and was not made available to the media afterward.

Cassidy said Eichel “tweaked something” though he didn’t specify what and that he was held out more as a precaution than anything.

As for Marner, who skated with Eichel and Ivan Barbashev, he said its’s a matter of finding common ground and a comfort level on the same line with Eichel.

“It’a a lot of read-and-react kind of system so I’m just trying to learn as quick as I can,” Marner said. “I’m just trying to find the right areas on the ice where I can compete the best I can.

“Obviously it can be a very skilled line. We’re just going to keep trying to find ways to use each other’s skill and open each other up.”

Meanwhile, with camp opening, Marner is not the only new face you need to be interested in.

Colton Sissons and Jeremy Lauzon, the players acquired in the Nic Hague deal with Nashville, may be bottom-six performers. But if the Knights expect to challenge for the Stanley Cup, it’s going to mean rolling four lines and three reliable defense pairings.

Sissons, a 31-year-old center, gets a chance to bounce back after a drop-off in productivity with the Predators in 2024-25 which saw him score just seven goals in 72 games after tallying 15 in 81 contests the year before.  He’s also a reliable penalty killer and a strong forechecker which will help him with his time on ice.

“I think I’ll fit in just fine,” Sissons said. “Obviously being with one organization my whole career you get used to doing things a certain way. Here, everything is new to me but I got here a couple of weeks early, met the guys and toured the facility. Now, it’s just going out there and play.”

Lauzon played for Cassidy in Boston and he’ll be battling Ben Hutton for that third D-pairing slot to probably play alongside Kaedan Korczak. Remember, Alex Pietrangelo will not been on the ice as he is on LTIR with hip surgery in his future so it opens up a spot on the roster.

The 28-year-old plays a physical game and being able to take the body is important. Brayden McNabb will likely continue to lead the team in hits and blocked shots. But Lauzon may not be far behind assuming he wins the job.
 
“Obviously I know the system and how he wants to play,” Lauzon said. “I think they know how I play and I think that’s why they targeted me in the trade.

“I’m excited to be here. I have a good role and I want to help bring that physical presence and help the team win games.”

When you have two veteran newcomers, it makes it easier for them to assimilate into a new team’s culture. And while Cassidy hasn’t coached Sissons, he’s well aware of his skills and his game, both from his time in Boston and of course, in Vegas.

“Sissons should be an easy transition,” Cassidy said when asked about the newcomers not named Marner. “Lauzon is similar to Nic in how he plays and he knows our system so it should be an easy transition for him as well.

“I think when you’re replacing veteran players with other veterans, you’re getting that experience that allows them to fit in quicker to what you’re doing. So I’m not worried.”

It’s going to be an interesting year as the NHL returns to participating in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014. The Golden Knights are going to be well represented in Italy with Cassidy as an assistant coach for Team Canada and Marner, Mark Stone, Adin Hill and Shea Theodore likely to make the roster, subject to their health. Eichel and Noah Hanifin are expected to be on Team USA while Hertl (Czechia), Karlsson (Sweden) and Jonas Rondbjerg (Denmark) also figure to be in the mix for their countries.

But things are going to move quickly in the initial phase leading up to the Oct. 8 regular season opener against the Kings at T-Mobile Arena. There are seven preseason contests in 13 days to sort things out and get everything settled. Fortunately for the Knights, they have a veteran roster and it shouldn’t take long to get ready.

“We have a lot of returning players,” he said. “I think the preseason, it’s more of an evaluation period. We want to see who we want to be ready in case we have to call someone up.

“We’ll also look at different line combinations. Some guys won’t play together in some games because they won’t dress. But we’ll look at a lot of things,. We may not hit every box we want but we’ll get a good look at everyone.”