High above the ice at T-Mobile Arena, a select group of Golden Knights players gather before the opening faceoff.
They don’t want to be there, but the math indicates they have no choice.
They are officially “inactives” or “healthy scratches.” Every team has them because the rules say you can only dress 20 players to play and there are 23 on the roster. So three players have to sit out.
In the case of the Golden Knights, it has meant three defensemen put on a suit and tie instead of skates and shoulder pads. The Knights have nine defensemen and six dress.