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The 2024-25 NHL season starts Oct. 4. With training camps underway, NHL.com is taking a look at the three keys, the inside scoop on roster questions, and the projected lineup for each of the 32 teams. Today, the Vegas Golden Knights.

Coach: Bruce Cassidy (third season)

Last season: 45-29-8; fourth in Pacific Division, lost in Western Conference First Round

3 KEYS

1. Replacing the offense they lost

Jonathan Marchessault scored 42 of Vegas’ 263 goals last season, just about 16 percent, but he’s gone. Marchessault left the Golden Knights as an unrestricted free agent to sign with the Nashville Predators. Similarly, Chandler Stephenson (16) and Michael Amadio (14) combined for 30 goals, but both are not with Vegas any longer. Stephenson signed with the Seattle Kraken and Amadio with the Ottawa Senators. The Golden Knights expect Tomas Hertl to make up for Marchessault’s offense. They’re going to need more out of Pavel Dorofeyev (13 goals in 47 games last season) and perhaps 25-30 goals between Alexander Holtz and Victor Olofsson, who are both new to the team this season. Jack Eichel scored 31 goals in 63 games last season. That’s a 40-goal pace for an 82-game season.

2. Hertl’s impact

Hertl didn’t have last season to fully immerse himself on the ice with the Golden Knights. They acquired him in a trade with the San Jose Sharks on March 8, but he was still out with a knee injury at the time and didn’t make his Vegas debut until April 8. He played six regular-season games and had four points (two goals, two assists). He played in all seven games against the Stars in the first round, but his only point was a goal in Game 1. Hertl is healthy and fully immersed now. With Marchessault gone, Hertl will need to provide offense and drive possession for the Golden Knights. He was twice a 30-goal scorer with the Sharks, but the last time was 2021-22. Vegas should be a better team than San Jose was the past two seasons, which should help Hertl.

3. Defense still intact, strong

Regardless of the upheaval the Golden Knights are experiencing up front, replacing nearly 40 percent of their offense from last season, the back end is set and will be the foundation for their success. Five of the six defensemen that were regulars for Vegas in its Stanley Cup championship run in 2023 are back: Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, Zach Whitecloud and Nicolas Hague. The Golden Knights added Noah Hanifin at the trade deadline last season and signed him to an eight-year, $58.8 million contract on April 11. He could be on the first pair with Pietrangelo or the second pair with Hague. Adin Hill is back in net and is the clear starter with Ilya Samsonov signing with Vegas to be the backup.

ROSTER RUNDOWN

Making the cut

Tanner Pearson is attending training camp on a professional tryout contract. He has played in 644 NHL regular-season games and won the Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014. He played in 54 games with the Montreal Canadiens last season and had 13 points (five goals, eight assists). Injuries have derailed Pearson the past two seasons, limiting him to 68 games, but he told reporters early in training camp that all of that is behind him. He is competing for what is likely a spot on Vegas’ fourth line as a replacement to William Carrier, who signed with the Carolina Hurricanes. Brendan Brisson, Jonas Rondbjerg and Zach Aston-Reese are also competing for roster spots, though they’re limited.

Most intriguing addition

Holtz was traded by the New Jersey Devils before he had a chance to live up to the potential he came with as the No. 7 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Vegas acquired the 22-year-old forward and goalie Akira Schmid, who is likely the No. 3, for forward Paul Cotter and a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft on June 29. Holtz scored 16 goals and had 28 points in 82 games with New Jersey last season. He is likely ticketed for a third-line role with the Golden Knights, but that means he’ll get a chance to play with either Hertl or William Karlsson as his center. There is optimism that Holtz’s big shot with the quick release will pay dividends for Vegas.

Biggest potential surprise

Olofsson comes to Vegas on a one-year contract after a down season with the Buffalo Sabres. He had 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 51 games last season. But Olofsson scored 28 goals in 75 games in 2022-23. More importantly, he is reunited with Eichel. They played together with the Sabres and Eichel was Olofsson’s regular center during the 2019-20 season and part of the 2020-21 season. Olofsson scored 20 goals in 54 games in 2019-20, when Eichel had 36 goals in 68 games. The Golden Knights are hoping their chemistry returns.

Ready to contribute

It certainly appears that Brisson has done everything asked of him since turning pro late in the 2021-22 season, when he had eight points (three goals, five assists) in seven games with the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League. Brisson has 83 points (40 goals, 43 assists) in 117 AHL games, including 38 (19 goals, 19 assists) in 52 games last season. He also had eight points (two goals, six assists) in 15 games with Vegas last season. But Brisson is waiver-exempt, which means he will have to outplay an NHL veteran to earn a roster spot out of training camp. In fact, his waiver status bodes well for Pearson’s chances of making the team. Regardless if he’s on the opening night roster or in the AHL, Brisson figures to get his chance with the Golden Knights this season, and if he performs well enough he could force them to keep him in the NHL.

Fantasy sleeper

Hanifin, D (average draft position: 111.4) — After being acquired from the Calgary Flames prior to the NHL Trade Deadline last season, Hanifin had 17 points (four goals, 13 assists), eight on the power play, in 26 games with the Golden Knights during the regular season and playoffs combined. Hanifin scored an NHL career-high 13 goals last season and was productive on the first power-play unit in the postseason with high-scoring forwards Eichel, Hertl and Mark Stone, giving the defenseman a high fantasy ceiling over a full season. — Pete Jensen

PROJECTED LINEUP

Ivan Barbashev — Jack Eichel — Victor Olofsson

Pavel Dorofeyev — William Karlsson — Mark Stone

Alexander Holtz — Tomas Hertl — Nicolas Roy

Tanner Pearson — Brett Howden — Keegan Kolesar

Shea Theodore — Alex Pietrangelo

Noah Hanifin — Nicolas Hague

Brayden McNabb — Zach Whitecloud

Adin Hill

Ilya Samsonov