A certain energy has crackled in the air at City National Arena throughout training camp and the preseason. There is a hunger, a sense of urgency that has nothing to do with the shortened preseason. And everyone in the Vegas Golden Knights organization, from the players to the head coach to the general manager, speaks of unfinished business.
By now, everyone knows the story of the 2025-26 Vegas Golden Knights. After a regular season full of struggles that led to a late-season coaching change, they went on an improbable Cinderella run in the playoffs. With John Tortorella at the helm, the Golden Knights dispatched the Utah Mammoth, breezed by the Anaheim Ducks, and swept the President’s Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.
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Winning their second Stanley Cup in franchise history would have been the perfect ending to an unbelievable story; ultimately, the Golden Knights fell just two wins short of the ultimate goal.
“The belief of our organization is there’s unfinished business,” said first-year head coach Ryan Craig at the start of training camp. “When I use the words starting over, it’s because we don’t get back to that point without starting at zero again in the regular season and earning our way back to having that opportunity.
“When I say we’re starting over, we are,” Craig continued. “We started over today. But the guys that were on this team last year have unfinished business; our organization has unfinished business in the sense of where our standards are and what we hope to accomplish.”
Summer is over now, and while the pain of losing is no longer raw, it left scars that can only be healed by the joy of winning.
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“Obviously, it was disappointing last year to go as far as we did and not come out victorious,” said Golden Knights captain Mark Stone on Monday. “It’s the first time I’ve been that far without winning.”
Monday morning marked the first official practice of the regular season, and the sense of urgency only increased. The Golden Knights host the Chicago Blackhawks for their home opener on Tuesday night, and they know that they have to start strong to reach the top of the summit once more.
“Every year is a new challenge, and this year’s no different,” Stone said following Monday’s practice. “We’ll have to try and dial in a good start to the season, to bank points, because they all matter at the end of the day. If you can get off to a good start, those lulls in the middle of the season that you’re gonna have are less magnified.”
Saying that players want to play games that matter isn’t anything new. But this year, for the Golden Knights, the start of the regular season isn’t just an end to meaningless preseason hockey.
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It’s a shot at redemption.
“We’re starting at game one,” said head coach Ryan Craig on Monday. “So, how are we going to build ourselves back to… an opportunity to take care of business? I want to see the group continue to play to their strengths and understand who they are. To figure that out, we’re gonna have to go through the highs and lows of the season.
“There’s lots of stuff for us to figure out as a group,” Craig continued. “It’s a long journey that we’re excited about. We’re gonna learn a lot about each other individually and then as a group… I’m excited to see the urgency level rise from exhibition to game one. I think it’s gonna jump here quite a bit because, you know, even though we’ve only been in camp for 11 days, the guys are ready to play. I’m happy that we’re playing game one.”
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