The Vegas Golden Knights have nearly enough defensemen for two rosters.

While it makes for a packed blue line - or press box - general manager George McPhee doesn't see his many extras as a pressing issue, particularly as training camp cuts loom in the weeks ahead.

"Our defensemen can count. They know there are a lot of 'D' here right now," McPhee told David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We'll just have to see how camp goes and how we proceed.

"To be fair, you'd like to say it's going to be the best six guys, but we'll see. Sometimes you have to think short term and long term in this job and do what's best for the organization from that standpoint."

In all, Vegas has 11 blue-liners under contract, according to CapFriendly:

Which combination makes up the final roster remains to be seen, though McPhee noted he'd like to carry eight defensemen when the season begins.

In the meantime, the Golden Knights GM could opt to move a d-man or two - always a position in demand - to make things a little clearer.

It wouldn't be the first time he's done so since taking the Vegas job. Four blue-liners plucked in the expansion draft have already been shipped out: Trevor van Riemsdyk to the Carolina Hurricanes, David Schlemko to the Montreal Canadiens, Marc Methot to the Dallas Stars, and Alexei Emelin to the Nashville Predators.

With training camp set to open Thursday at City National Arena, the Golden Knights' new practice facility, little time remains before McPhee will need to whittle down his final roster. Still, he's prepared to let the process play out.

"We're completely open minded about what might develop (at training camp)," McPhee added. "I'm open for some unknown surprises. It's wide open, and it should be."

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Former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman and Hall of Fame inductee Pierre Pilote died Saturday. He was 85.

"The Chicago Blackhawks offer our sincere condolences to the family of Pierre Pilote as we mourn his passing," the team said in a statement. "Pierre was one of the most decorated defensemen in NHL history and was a valuable member of the 1961 Stanley Cup championship team.

"He will be remembered for his toughness, leadership, and reliability on the ice - as proven by his captaincy and streak of 376 consecutive games played. We will forever be grateful for his incredible contribution to the Blackhawks and the game of hockey."

Pilote was a three-time Norris Trophy winner, earning the honor in 1963, 1964, and 1965. He spent 13 seasons with the Blackhawks, captaining the team from 1961-68. Pilote then played the final season of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 890 career games, Pilote recorded 80 goals and 418 assists, alongside 1,251 penalty minutes.

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Kris Letang is a star defenseman, but some tweaks to his game could make him a superstar.

The oft-injured Pittsburgh Penguins blue-liner is an elite puck mover, but his knack of running the risky play comes a little too often, says coach Mike Sullivan.

"We would like him to recognize those situations when he might have to use the glass and make a simple play and not put himself in vulnerable situations," Sullivan told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "He's a courageous kid. He's brave. That's part of what makes him as good as he is. And there's going to be opportunities where he's going to have to take hits for us to make plays. We don't want him to change that aspect of his game."

In other words, sometimes it's better for Letang to make the more calculated decision, to chip-and-chase, rather than making a sacrificial play. Minimizing his contact with opponents would be an added bonus as well, after Letang was limited to 41 games last season.

Neck surgery then sidelined Letang for the Penguins' entire Stanley Cup run.

"We're trying to help him recognize those situations," Sullivan added. "I hope, with the amount of time he missed last year and watching the playoffs from the press box, spending some time with (coach) Sergei Gonchar in the press box, that it gives him a whole different vantage point as far as how he sees the game.

"I hope that experience serves him well. I think it will. We've talked about it, and we'll continue to talk about it. Obviously we want to keep him on the ice as often as we can."

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Kris Letang has been given the green light.

On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins blue-liner was medically cleared to join the team's training camp, five months after he underwent neck surgery.

The 30-year-old was sidelined for the Penguins' entire Stanley Cup run. He also battled injuries through the regular season and was limited to just 41 games.

It's safe to say that Letang is antsy to get back on the ice.

"He wants to play 40 minutes a game, but I think the coaches will just take it a day or a week or a game at a time and see where it goes," Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford told Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com. "I would suspect that he would probably ease his way into the preseason and then go from there."

Penguins training camp officially opens Sept. 15, while the team's first exhibition game comes four days later against the Buffalo Sabres.

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There will be no holdout in the Mile High City.

That's certainly the expectation of Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic, who told Adrian Dater of BSN Denver that despite Matt Duchene staying put this offseason, he is still to show up to the team's training camp.

"He's under contract and I expect him to be here on the 14th," Sakic told Dater. "He doesn't have to be here until the 14th. Not everybody always comes to camp early. It's not for me to (say), but I assume on the 14th, he'll be here."

Duchene made headlines last week when he did not take part in an optional pre-camp captain's practice. Further pressing the issue was that Duchene was just one of two Avalanche players not to attend - the other being Nathan MacKinnon, who was in Manhattan covering NHL media tour duties.

"I talked a little bit with Dutchy. He's not here; that's not a secret," Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog told Mike Chambers of The Denver Post last week. "But we'll have to wait and see. As of right now, he's a part of the Avalanche organization and we all expect him to be here when training camp starts. I don't really know what else to tell you right now."

Asked whether Duchene intends to report to camp, his agent, Pat Brisson, was non-committal, telling Dater: "I don't have much to say at this point."

Duchene's name has swirled in trade rumors since early January, but in the ensuring months the Avalanche haven't found a deal to their liking. Nor does it appear Sakic has changed his stance on waiting for the right deal to come to fruition.

"We're going in a direction," Sakic added. "We're building this thing up, and whatever we can do to help our building process, we're going to do."

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Evgeny Dadonov of the Florida Panthers and Vadim Shipachyov of the Vegas Golden Knights were the two prized free-agent acquisitions to come over from the KHL this offseason.

Dadonov, 28, and Shipachyov, 30, skated with league champion St. Petersburg SKA last year - here's how they stacked up:

As you can see, Shipachyov, a 6-foot center, is more of a playmaker, while Dadonov, a 5-foot-9 right winger, has more of a shoot-first mentality.

For comparison's sake, Columbus Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin had 26 goals and 62 points in 54 games during his final year in the KHL (also for St. Petersburg SKA) before signing with the Chicago Blackhawks before the 2015-16 season.

Worth the risk, but not the reach

As two of the KHL's most dynamic offensive players a year ago, it goes without saying that both Dadonov and Shipachyov have the potential to make a significant fantasy impact in 2017-18.

Luckily, neither will require a high draft pick to obtain their services. If you can nab them beyond Round 13 or 14, it's well worth the risk. On the other hand, it would be a major reach to select either before Round 12.

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Dadonov > Shipyachov

If both Dadonov and Shipachyov are sitting atop your board in the later rounds, take the former first - there's a much higher probability of him excelling.

Dadonov returns to North America with 55 games of NHL experience already under his belt after suiting up with the Panthers from 2009-12. He also has 155 games of AHL experience, making him better equipped for the transition compared to Shipachyov, who's spent his entire career in Russia.

Dadonov also has a huge advantage based on his position, as it is generally easier to transition to the NHL as a winger than a center, where there is more defensive responsibility.

Furthermore, Dadonov could very well find himself on a line with Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, while Shipachyov will have less talent around him on the expansion Golden Knights.

Prediction

Dadonov: 27 goals, 30 assists, 57 points, 208 shots

Shipachyov: 14 goals, 39 assists, 53 points, 146 shots

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The U.S. women's hockey team is stuck near Tampa Bay, Florida, with Hurricane Irma expected to hit the area around Sunday afternoon, according to USA TODAY Sports.

USA Hockey's decision not to evacuate the team has drawn heavy criticism from some of the players' agents.

"Six months out from the Olympics why would you put your best athletes through the stress of a hurricane?" agent Brant Feldman told USA TODAY Sports on Saturday.

Irma is supposed to hit the Tampa Bay area directly, with winds expected to reach 75 mph.

The American players have been training in Wesley Chapel, which is about 25 miles north of downtown Tampa.

USA Hockey said in a statement that the team wasn't located in an evacuation zone, officials have been in "regular communication with local authorities," and "arrangements are in place to move to an evacuation center if necessary."

Given that Irma is already a category 3 storm that's expected to strengthen, it's easy to wonder what USA Hockey deems as "necessary."

"I wish my clients well and hope for their health and well being as they ride out a hurricane 3 or 4 because they weren't evacuated," Feldman said.

Numerous sporting events across the state, including MLB games, NHL camps, and college football games, have since been relocated to other venues or postponed, so it's no surprise Feldman is irate.

"All of these men's teams evacuated, why isn't the women's team evacuated?" Feldman said. "Is it because they are just girls ... to me this is stupid, they are our Olympic team."

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