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VGK Media Day: McPhee, Fleury, Subban, Leipsic, Karlsson & Carrier |
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Sheng Peng
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Things aren't back to normal in Las Vegas, nor should they be. But just two days from the franchise's regular season debut, this morning's practice offered some perhaps necessary normalcy for these athletes whose jobs require a single-minded focus.
It was also Team Media Day as Vegas prepares for Friday night. George McPhee took the podium. After yesterday's intriguing "final" roster submission, which included the surprise "demotions" of Vadim Shipachyov, Shea Theodore, and Alex Tuch, McPhee had some explaining to do.
Here were some highlights from the presser, starting with audio of McPhee's opening statement, which addresses the terror attack in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
McPhee closed aptly, "I'm prepared to talk hockey if you are."
On signing Brandon Pirri:
"He's a really good player who will certainly help with the Chicago Wolves and is a guy who we can look to as a call-up."
On surprise demotions:
"We assigned Theodore, Tuch, and Shipachyov because we could. They did not require waivers. We are maneuvering with our roster."
On claiming Subban:
"We see something in the player. If we can get him to adjust to the way we think he should play and if he's coachable, we think we could have a good one.
"Not quite sure he's ready for this level.
"He's not going down [to Chicago]. He's staying."
On why he isn't trying to send Subban down:
"The team that just lost him would probably claim him back."
On odds that Vegas will carry three goalies this year:
"They're not long. They're not short. I'm not sure what we're going to do just yet. But when you see an opportunity like that, you hope your club is nimble enough to take advantage."
On James Neal's status:
"We can activate him at any time. It's possible [that he can play this Friday]."
On not having a captain this year:
"We're going to have three [permanent] alternates at home and three [permanent] alternates on the road.
"With respect to the way that our players have responded to things that have happened here over the weekend, we feel like we have 23 captains."
On Reid Duke:
"He had shoulder surgery and is expected to be out 4-6 months."
On sticking with plan to keep eight defensemen on roster, even with three goalies on roster:
"Yes."
***
Besides McPhee, I spoke with Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban, Brendan Leipsic, William Karlsson, and William Carrier.
Marc-Andre Fleury
HockeyBuzz: What do you say to your four-year-old about what happened a couple nights ago?
Marc-Andre Fleury: Yeah, that was a tough one.
We just said it was a really bad person. Hurt a lot of people.
She didn't ask too many questions. She asked the guy's name. I said, "You don't need to know his name."
There's some evil people out there, you know. You have to enjoy every day [that] you're healthy and smiling.
HB: Hopefully, she wasn't too shaken up?
MAF: No, no. She was a little confused. I didn't go into much detail. It was tragic what happened, for sure. I'm sure she knows.
Malcolm Subban
Today was Malcolm Subban's first day in uniform with the Golden Knights. A crush of reporters surrounded his locker room stall, which happened to be next to Marc-Andre Fleury's. Here are some highlights from the scrum:
Reporter: When did you know you were coming to Vegas?
Malcolm Subban: Found out about 12:04. On Twitter. (laughs)
HB: Did you have some inclination that you were going to be claimed?
MS: I wasn't sure. Nothing is guaranteed. It's what makes it suspenseful. But it's worth it. I'm just really grateful to be here. It's a huge honor.
Reporter: Coming from a city like Boston that has a logjam of goaltenders, what were you able to learn there?
MS: Just being [prepared] everyday, that's one thing that I've improved on the most. Just mature a bit and try to be a good pro. Doing the right things to make sure you're ready. My biggest concern right now is improving my game technically.
HB: Did you feel like maybe for yourself, that it was time for a fresh start in your career?
MS: Maybe.
Like I said, you want an opportunity wherever you can get it. Especially as a young guy. This is great. It's been unbelievable here. People are really nice. Facilities are amazing. I'm just really pumped to be here right now.
HB: What's your experience with having three goalies on the same team? If you have, can you talk about it?
MS: Not much. In the AHL, some guys get called up or sent down. So sometimes you have three goalies. But other than that, it's not too much of a common thing.
Reporter: You're going to get the opportunity to play with Marc-Andre Fleury. What do you hope to learn from him?
MS: Honestly, I know him a lot better than you think. Him and Lundqvist I watched countlessly growing up. I was pretty starstruck to meet him.
HB: Would you say those were you two favorite goalies growing up?
MS: Yeah, for sure. Fleury being Canadian, for sure. Coming in, the yellow pads, when you're a kid, you thought it was so cool. All the split saves and huge glove saves.
Lundqvist, same thing. I watched him ever since the [2006] Olympics.
Reporter: George McPhee said that if there's a few things that you change in your game, they really, really like what you can do. What do you think were those "few things" which he was talking about?
MS: Calming down my game, for sure, that's always been a thing I’ve been trying to work on. Maybe stuff you can get away with in minor hockey and juniors -- at the pro level, you get exposed.
The puck moves so fast here. Shots are coming so much faster. You have to make sure you're in good position.
Utilizing my size in the net and coming out and challenging and not moving too much. I think I underestimate my size a bit. I can use it more to my advantage to move around a bit less, be more stationary, be a little more quiet, which will give me [better] rebound control, better on the first shot, and better to recover.
HB: Before coming here, what have you heard about Dave Prior, who you will be working with here?
MS: Yeah, he and my goalie [coach Bob Essensa] in Boston had a relationship. Talked to him a little bit about his background. He's been around for a long time. He's a smart guy. I can tell just from talking to him that he knows his stuff. I'm definitely looking forward to working with him.
Brendan Leipsic
HB: Is it a little frustrating? Yesterday, you're hoping to have some clarity about your future with the Golden Knights, but there are still a couple more days of waiting?
Brendan Leipsic: Yeah, a little bit. Hopefully, once game-time comes, everything clears up a little bit. It's looking like I'm going to get a chance to start the season here. I'll get a good opportunity to try to prove myself, prove that I can be a full-time NHL'er.
HB: Also yesterday, you were there from the police headquarters all the way to the blood bank. Can you describe the day?
BL: It's really surreal. You hear about the stuff that happens in the world, but you never really expect to be at the center of it. You never want to play in a city where it happens. It was a really somber mood, where we were going. But hopefully, we brightened up people's days. Bringing the community together, like they've rallied behind each other. It was a really neat experience.
HB: At the blood bank, you guys took a photo with a survivor. Afterwards, she weeped and thanked you all for coming. Can you talk about that?
BL: Yeah, that one really hit home. You can talk about it and see it on TV all you want, but once you see it in person, see some of these people who have gone through this experience...it just hits home. Puts things in perspective a little bit.
HB: What do you carry from yesterday's experience?
BL: You never know what will happen. You can't take any day for granted. Even if you're having a bad day, it's a good day to come to the rink.
There's some of us who were thinking of maybe going to the concert or being there. We're just thankful we're alright.
William Karlsson
HB: Yesterday at the blood bank, there was this powerful scene. As you guys were leaving, the team took a picture with a survivor. Afterwards, she'll started crying, thanking you guys for being there. What did that mean to you?
William Karlsson: It was very emotional. The least we could do was being there, supporting them. To see her appreciate it that much, it was pretty unreal.
How do I say it? It really got to me. It made you realize, to appreciate life, really. She was lucky to survive. The whole community has been really awesome helping each other.
William Carrier
HB: We saw flashes of your game during the pre-season -- your speed, your physicality -- how do you think you performed this pre-season?
William Carrier: I had a good camp. I had a few good games. Trying to bring what I can bring to a team.
HB: You said you had a "few good games." Do you feel like you were up and down? Or do you feel like you had a consistent training camp?
WC: Yeah, it's hard. Pre-season, games are all over the place. There's not really systems out there. It's hard to get a consistent game. But overall, I thought camp was good.
HB: Am I right to say that William Carrier at his best is about speed and physicality?
WC: That's my game. Power forward game. I'll do anything out there. I can play on any line. If they're asking me to hit and stuff like that, I'll be there. If they're asking me to bring speed on the forecheck, I'll get there. Score a goal once in a while.
HB: Was it a little bit frustrating yesterday, hoping to have definitive news about your future on the roster, but not getting it?
WC: Not really. We're used to it. It's part of the game. They're making the decision up there. So we're just bringing it 100% out there for practice and games. Whatever they make for a decision is alright.
***
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