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Juho Piiparinen Set To Make NHL Preseason Debut Before VGK Decides Where He Heads Next

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On September 22, 2026

In Personnel

(Photo Credit: @SEllisHockey on X/Twitter)

Tonight, the Golden Knights get their first live look at the future as 2026 first-round pick Juho Piiparinen makes his NHL preseason debut. The 18-year-old was sent back to his team in Finland to begin the season but was recalled just in time for training camp after receiving extremely limited ice time for Tappara.

I think he flew over here on Tuesday, right? He’s been here for a week, so it’s probably been a bit of a whirlwind for him. -Ryan Craig

Piiparinen has skated in practice alongside many of VGKs star players and participated in the scrimmage at City National Arena where he held up quite well in a fast-paced “game.” Now, for the first time since being drafted in June, he’ll have a chance to play as a Golden Knight against opponents, rather than teammates.

It’s the first game in wearing a Vegas shirt. So I’m really excited and looking forward to play that game, but I’m pretty nervous at the same time. So that’s a great combination. -Juho Piiparinen

He’ll be paired with AHL veteran and fellow Scandinavian Adam Ginning as part of a young VGK lineup heading to San Jose.

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Trevor Connelly Getting First Look At 3rd Line Spot, Trying To Make It Stick

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On September 18, 2026

In Personnel

(Photo Credit: @GoldenKnights on X/Twitter)

After reaching the Stanley Cup Final, the bottom of the Golden Knights roster got a bit of a makeover. Veterans Reilly Smith, Brandon Saad, Cole Smith, Colton Sissons, and Keegan Kolesar all left the organization while leading goal scorer Pavel Dorofeyev was shipped off in a trade. That’s left several openings in the everyday roster that new head coach Ryan Craig is looking to fill.

On the first on-ice day of Training Camp, Craig rolled out a new look bottom-six, including one decision that could be viewed as somewhat of a surprise. 2024 1st round pick, 20-year-old Trevor Connelly, was placed alongside Tomas Hertl and Victor Olofsson on what is slated to be the VGK 3rd line.

Trevor gets the first kind of crack at that spot and we’ll see where it goes. -Ryan Craig

It’s an early indication that he is not only in the running to make the team directly out of Training Camp, but he may be a frontrunner.

We wanted to put him with two veteran guys to start today. We may move him around. He may get a chance in a game with those guys. We don’t know exactly yet, but we wanted to take a look at it. We talked about the urgency of our camp. We have to get a look at certain things. -Craig

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Takeaways From VGK Rookie Games In San Jose

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On September 14, 2026

In Personnel

(Photo Credit: @GoldenKnights on X/Twitter)

The Golden Knights rookies return from San Jose with a shootout win, a shutout loss, and a few injuries after a couple of hard-fought games against the Mammoth and Avalanche. Special teams played a large part in both games as VGK allowed all three goals on the penalty kill to Utah and then scored a few on the power play, including a late one to tie the game against Colorado.

These games are about much more than results, though. The key storyline as the Golden Knights rookies return to Vegas will be the health of Trevor Connelly and Ben Hemmerling, but here are a few other takeaways as well.

Connelly and Hemmerling injured

In the first game, Trevor Connelly was boarded viciously and illegally by Utah 4th round pick Gabe Smith. Connelly was down on the ice for a while before walking off under his own power. He returned to the bench in the 3rd period but did not take a shift in the game.

Being a long layoff, we didn’t want to jeopardize anything with him, so we pulled the reins on him a little. It was good to see him back. He got good clearance from our staff so we wanted to take it easy for Game 1. -Joel Ward, Silver Knights head coach

Connelly did not dress in the second game.

Hemmerling was injured in the 1st period of Sunday’s game against Colorado after taking a big open-ice hit from Gustav Stjernberg (a 23-year-old defenseman who played 11 games in the AHL last season after finishing up his career at Bowling Green). Matheau Cataford immediately stepped up to fight the big defenseman. Hemmerling did not return to the game. Ward did not speak about the injury postgame.

Trent Swick’s arrival

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The Case Against The Golden Knights Going All-In On Connor Hellebuyck

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On August 29, 2026

In Personnel

(Photo Credit: @ilesmadeleine on X/Twitter)

The latest “shiny toy” has hit the NHL trade market and, as always, the Golden Knights are rumored to be in the mix to land him. Yesterday we went over the case for why Vegas should mortgage even more of the future to go get Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets.

Today, we’re doing the opposite and taking a look at why VGK should steer clear of the next blockbuster trade.

Locking in the current window

The Golden Knights have been in a Stanley Cup-contending window for an entire decade. They remain in that window this upcoming season with a pair of extremely important pieces (Mark Stone and William Karlsson) set to play on the final year of their contracts. There is, of course, a real chance that once players like Stone, Karlsson, and Brayden McNabb move on from the organization, the next wave of superstars can keep the window open. However, adding Hellebuyck would make it even more difficult.

Hellebuyck is currently 33-years-old and thus likely only has a few more truly dominant seasons left in him. If Vegas adds him to the mix, they add another player in the current window that will likely not be helpful, if not outright hurtful, to the collection of players expected to carry on and open the next VGK Stanley Cup window. It will be much more difficult for Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Rasmus Andersson, and Shea Theodore to keep the Golden Knights at the top of the league if they are being weighed down by the back end of Hellebuyck’s contract, along with the missing assets spent to bring him here.

The trade of Pavel Dorofeyev was one of the first forward-looking moves that may help keep Vegas’ Cup window open even longer than it otherwise may have. Adding Hellebuyck would completely undo that.

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The Case For The Golden Knights Going On All-In On Connor Hellebuyck

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On August 28, 2026

In Personnel

(Photo Credit: @NHL on X/Twitter)

Three-time Vezina winner and 2024-25 Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck sent shockwaves through the NHL yesterday by formally requesting a trade out of Winnipeg. It’s been bubbling under the surface for a while now, but in a statement Hellebuyck released through his agent, the gold medalist made it official, and now the Jets are in an incredibly difficult position.

Hellebuyck is 33-years-old and has five seasons left on a contract set to pay him $8,500,000 per season against the salary cap. He has a full no-move clause this season, which shifts to a 10-team no-trade moving forward.

Simply put, the best goalie in the NHL is on the market for a discount price both via trade and contract. The question is, should the Golden Knights once again be in the running for another blockbuster?

Today, we’re examining the case for going all-in on Hellebuyck. Tomorrow, we’ll flip the script and look at the reasons to stay away. Then, you can decide which argument is stronger.

Upgrading weakest position

Even the most goalie apologetic among us (and I do often fall into that category) can readily admit that the weakest position in the Golden Knights lineup is currently between the pipes. Statistically, the Golden Knights were a disaster in the net during the regular season, finishing nearly dead last in save percentage and goals saved above expected as a team. It improved a bit during the playoffs, but in the end the inability to stop the puck was a huge part of VGK’s undoing, and the current plan is to run it back with the same two guys in net.

Hellebuyck is the closest thing to a guaranteed upgrade that you’ll ever find at the most difficult position to project in the NHL. Even in his worst seasons, Hellebuyck still finishes well above league average in most categories. And, in his best seasons, he’s capable of carrying any team in any game at any time. The Golden Knights are already dangerous as they currently stand. Put the best goalie in the league behind them, look out.

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Ville Heinola Could Be Golden Knight’s Next Reclamation Success Story

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On August 25, 2026

In Personnel

(Photo Credit: @SportsTalkWPG on X/Twitter)

There was a time, not all that long ago, when defenseman Ville Heinola was considered the future of the Winnipeg Jets. Selected with the 20th pick in the 1st round of the 2019 Draft, Heinola stepped right onto the Jets blue line on Opening Night in 2019. Playing in a 3rd pair role, Heinola skated 25 shifts for 18:24 and recorded his first career point, a secondary assist on a Blake Wheeler goal.

A few games later, Heinola scored for the first time in the NHL. As Wheeler took the puck around the back of the net, Heinola crept in from the blue line to rip a one-timer from the top of the circle. It squeaked through goalie Matt Murray. Four games into Winnipeg’s season, Heinola had posted three points, a goal, a +3 rating, and averaged nearly 21 minutes per night. The outlook was extremely bright for the 18-year-old Finn.

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Finding The Right Fit For Parker Wotherspoon Will Be Crucial For VGK Defense

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On August 13, 2026

In Personnel

(Photo Credit: @NHLBruins on X/Twitter)

A little over a year ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins took a shot on an under-utilized stay-at-home defenseman, signing Parker Wotherspoon to a two-year $1 million AAV deal as a free agent. Then, when training camp began, head coach Dan Muse decided to give the newcomer a shot on the top pair alongside three-time Norris winner Erik Karlsson. The pairing worked well instantly, and it eventually stuck for the entirety of the 2025-26 season, which saw the Penguins surprisingly make the playoffs.

Wotherspoon posted his best statistical season in just about every category. Goals, assists, points, games played, shots, time on ice, and takeaways were all blown out of the water in his fifth season in the NHL as a 28-year-old. He also led the Penguins in blocked shots and ranked second in hits.

It was a breakthrough season of epic proportions, and Pittsburgh fans and media couldn’t stop raving about the success story Wotherspoon had become in his first season as a Penguin.

So for everything that Parker Wotherspoon did in his own game and for everything he did that helped the team, and that helped specifically Eric Karlsson, if I had to grade year one of Parker Wotherspoon in Pittsburgh, I’d give him an A+ and I’d give him a higher grade if it was possible. It’s pretty darn close to 100% success rate for if looking back at year one of Parker Wotherspoon. –Nick Belsky, Tip of the Ice-Burgh

Then, on the eve of free agency, in a bit of a stunner, the Golden Knights and Penguins swapped defensemen, with Wotherspoon coming to Vegas for Kaedan Korczak.

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