OK Daily: Martinez Placed on LTIR, Steve Spott and Ryan Craig Assume Head Coach Roles

After an extended six-day break the Vegas Golden Knights will finally be back in action on Tuesday night as they take on the Los Angeles Kings. The Golden Knights have seen two of their games get postponed due to the ongoing issues with COVID-19 in the NHL. They will be rescheduled at a later date.

Now back from an extended holiday break, the Golden Knights have quite the handful of roster transactions to recap. On Monday night Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez and his $5.25 million cap hit were placed on long-term injured reserve. Martinez last played on November 11th where he took a skate to the face. He has missed the last 22 games with a facial laceration.

What placing Martinez on LTIR means for the Golden Knights cap situation is unknown. But it may be hinting towards Jack Eichel gearing up for a return soon.

Also regarding the Golden Knight’s cap crunch, it looks like Nolan Patrick will return, possibly as soon as Tuesday. The 23-year old has been participating in line rushes in a full-contact jersey during practices. Nicolas Hague is also set to return for the Golden Knights after missing the last game against the Lightning.

Max Pacioretty, Robin Lehner, and Mark Stone are all game-time decisions for the Golden Knights on Tuesday.

Vegas: The Vegas Golden Knights currently have four members of their team in COVID-19 protocols with Evgenii Dadonov, Brett Howden, Alex Pietrangelo, and head coach Peter DeBoer.

With DeBoer out, assistant coach Steve Spott anticipates that he and fellow assistant coach Ryan Craig will work with the offense whereas assistant coach Ryan McGill will work the defense.

The Golden Knights have also revealed their Taxi Squad with four players making the list. Daniil Miromanov, Jonas Rondbjerg, Jake Leschyshyn, and Logan Thompson have been recalled from the Henderson Silver Knights for this very reason.

Laurent Brossoit is rocking some sweet new pads.

New pads for Brossoit. pic.twitter.com/PcjfnE3cu6

— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) December 27, 2021

Henderson: Wednesday night’s Silver Knights game against the San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks) has been postponed due to COVID-19.

World Juniors: Golden Knights prospect Jakub Demek was bumped up in the lineup as Team Slovakia lost 3-0 to Team Sweden in the preliminary round of the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championships.

NHL News, Trade Rumors and National Hockey Now

Hockey Twitter: Former NHL’er and Stanley Cup Champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins Beau Bennett revealed on Monday that he has had COVID-19 a total of nine times. Members of Hockey Twitter lost their minds.

Chicago: Former Golden Knight’s goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is in COVID-19 protocols.

Seattle: Brandon “Turbo” Tanev will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 NHL season with a torn ACL.

Boston: Which names on the NHL trade market could the Boston Bruins be interested in? Could we see a Phil Kessel reunion in Boston?

The Bruins, like most teams in the NHL, are trying to make the most out of this extended break by using the extended time off to rest up and prepare.

Colorado: Bowen Byram has returned to practice for the Colorado Avalanche. However, the team will not play for a while as their next two games have been postponed.

Florida: It looks like the Florida Panthers will be getting back their captain Alexander Barkov as soon as their next game. “I think he looks ready to go,” Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said.

Long Island: The New York Islanders will be taking advantage of the return of the NHL’s Taxi Squad system as they have assigned five players to their squad.

Detroit: Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin states that he would have gone to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games if he had the chance.

Calgary: We will still be able to see the Tkachuk brothers compete in the Olympics in 2026 right?

Vancouver: Finally, was 2021 one of the worst years in Vancouver Canucks franchise history?