Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press via AP
Peyton Krebs puts on a Vegas Golden Knights jersey during the first round of the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 21, 2019, in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Friday, Dec. 25, 2020 | 2 a.m.
The players in the Golden Knights’ lineup are more or less set for the upcoming season. There may be some movement around the edges, but it’s not hard to predict with a good deal of certainty who will be in the NHL.
One player whose future is less clear is top prospect Peyton Krebs. Currently at the World Junior Championships representing Canada, Krebs provides an interesting dilemma for the Golden Knights. He’s 19, which normally means he must either play for the Golden Knights or his junior team in the Western Hockey League.
He’s also right on the brink of being ready to play in the NHL. He suffered a serious Achilles injury last year, but responded with a dominant season in juniors with the WHL Winnipeg Ice, meaning a strong performance at World Juniors might force the Golden Knights’ hand.
“Now when I am healthy I don’t take for granted any day, and being on the ice is definitely a treat,” Krebs said. “I’m just thankful to be able to play each and every day and play the game I love for a living as I’m looking to make the NHL this year and obviously play in the World Juniors.”
Normally, a WHL player of Krebs’ age would not be eligible for the AHL because of the agreement between the NHL and Canadian Hockey League (the governing body of the WHL), but general manager Kelly McCrimmon said this year may prove to be an exceptional circumstance. If the WHL does not have a season because of the pandemic and provides a development option for its players, it could allow a one-time waiver about its AHL rule, opening another avenue for Krebs.
Regardless, he’ll be in town. McCrimmon said once Krebs finishes World Juniors, which could be as late as Jan. 5 if Canada reaches the gold-medal game, he will come to Las Vegas, hopefully for the remainder of training camp. Then, it’s about deciding where he’ll spend this season.
“We need him playing,” McCrimmon said. “He’ll come to Las Vegas from the World Junior, and from there we’re going to give him an opportunity to be evaluated.”
This is where the new taxi squad rules comes in. To ensure every team has enough players available through a coronavirus-affected season, this season included the formation of a taxi squad — four to six players that can travel and practice with the team but are not part of the active roster. This would be a similar experience to when Vegas brought Krebs to the postseason bubble in Edmonton last summer.
The Golden Knights could keep him on the taxi squad, and allow him to practice with the NHL team without taking up a roster spot and eating up valuable cap space. Should they decide he’s ready to go, he could play in up to six games without starting the clock on his entry-level contract. If he’s not, they could send back to juniors (if the WHL is playing) or perhaps even the AHL if allowed, and start the clock next year when he will fully be eligible to play in the AHL without restrictions.
If he is sent to juniors, he would could then join either Vegas or Henderson at the conclusion of WHL Winnipeg’s season. That would be similar to how Cody Glass joined AHL Chicago at the end of the 2018-19 season for the Wolves’ run to the Calder Cup Final.
Fighting for a spot
All that is just bluster if Krebs isn’t ready to play in the NHL. After all, he’s only played in 38 junior games since being drafted due to the Achilles injury that cost him much of the 2019 season. Throw in World Juniors and he’ll still be at under 50 games since the end of his 2018-19 season, almost two years.
So is Krebs ready for the NHL?
“I still think he’s probably going to need a year in the AHL. I don’t think he’s a guy that’s on a fast-track and he doesn’t need to be on a fast-track,” ESPN prospects expert Chris Peters said. “Especially given the setback with the injury that he’s fully recovered from and really showing no ill signs from, that’s time lost and development time lost. I think it’s safer to say he should probably get some AHL time before he transitions to the NHL.
“I should say, I think there’s absolutely — if the opportunity is there — he could certainly seize it much sooner than I’m giving him credit for.”
Krebs was ranked No. 50 on Peters’ list of top-100 drafted prospects in the NHL, Peters’ cutoff for what he called “grade-A … potential impact players.” Peters also said Krebs’ performance at World Juniors, where he is expected to play a big role on the projected best team, could also boost his stock.
Peters pointed to Krebs’ vision on the ice and passing ability as things that make him a top prospect, though said he wanted to see some more explosiveness from his skating and add some more muscle moving forward.
“For me, Peyton Krebs is an outstanding player,” Peters said. “He’s a high-end prospect with a chance to be a top-six forward in the NHL.”
That’s the objective view. Internally, the Golden Knights may view Krebs differently.
Remember when the Golden Knights went to Edmonton for the postseason, they not only brought Krebs along, but had him on the ice for warmups. Coach Peter DeBoer said it wasn’t about experience, but that if a player was dressed, he might end up playing.
The Golden Knights used just 14 forwards during the postseason, so we’ll never know just how far down the depth chart Krebs was. But he could have been as high as 15th, meaning he might have been one injury away from NHL action.
DeBoer is high on Krebs, and it sounds like he’ll be given every chance to play for the Golden Knights as soon as this season.
“We don’t look at birth certificates when we’re building a team,” DeBoer said. “We’re looking at players that can help us win this season. So if he’s in that mix, and I think he’s going to push people hard to be in that mix.”
There’s definitely room in the lineup if Krebs proves ready. The Golden Knights have five forwards locked into the top six: Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith.
The second center spot behind Karlsson is up for grabs, thought to be a race between Cody Glass and Chandler Stephenson. Whoever doesn’t get that spot will be ticketed for the third line, alongside Alex Tuch and potentially Nicolas Roy. But Krebs could slide into either middle-six center spot, or even on the third line’s left wing.
“There’s no reason from what I’ve seen that he can’t push people for a job,” DeBoer said.
Bottom line
The Golden Knights will need to decide if Krebs is ready to play in the NHL when the season starts on Jan. 14 against the Ducks. If they decide the answer is no, they will likely keep him on the taxi squad until a decision is made on a WHL season. At that point, he could be sent to Winnipeg if he’s not ready for the NHL.
There isn’t a right or wrong answer. Vegas is in no rush with Krebs and have a history of allowing their top prospects to run out their junior eligibility and play in the AHL, like they did with Glass and Nicolas Hague. To the point, the Golden Knights have yet to ice a teenager for a game in their short history.
In a normal year, it’s likely Krebs would have come to NHL camp in the fall and probably be sent back for one more year of being a top player in the WHL. The taxi squad changes things this year, as does the uncertainty of the WHL season. And if Vegas trades another forward for cap flexibility, having a high-potential, inexpensive player like Krebs makes a lot of sense.
Whether it’s this season or next, the Golden Knights have high hopes for Krebs. Golden Knights fans looking for a glimpse of the future need only flip on NHL Network to watch Canada play at the World Juniors. It’ll be the first look at the organization’s best prospect this year.
It might not be the last.
