John Tortorella finally broke his silence on Brayden McNabb's status ahead of Game 3
Brayden McNabb has John Tortorella staring at a blue-line switch before Game 3, and Vegas suddenly has a real lineup question.
Tortorella's «no update» on Saturday said plenty by saying almost nothing. When a coach shuts that door this late in the Final, the player is usually in real doubt.
That's why the next part of his answer mattered more. Tortorella made it clear Vegas trusts its depth on defense, which sounds a lot like a bench preparing for McNabb to miss.
McNabb is not a fringe piece. He played 63 games this season, and his value runs deeper than the 12 points on his stat line. He is one of the defenders Vegas leans on when the game gets heavy.
The injury itself looked rough. A puck caught him in the face in Game 2, and the visual alone was enough to make this a real concern heading into Saturday night.
Vegas can at least point to a roster that has handled stress all year. The Golden Knights finished 39-26-17 for 95 points, so this is not a club built on one pairing alone.
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Kaedan Korczak is the name sitting closest to this story. He played 78 games in the regular season and gave Vegas 16 points, so this would not be some emergency toss into the fire.
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What John Tortorella just revealed about Brayden McNabb's status is getting everyone talking
Korczak also gives Tortorella a cleaner fit than an outside-the-box shuffle. He shoots right, moves well enough to survive pace, and already logged NHL minutes all season instead of sitting on the edge of the roster.
That matters because Carolina is not giving anyone a soft landing in this series. The Hurricanes finished 53-22-7 with 113 points, and they have enough pace up front to test any replacement shift by shift.
Vegas still has star power to cushion a change. Jack Eichel put up 90 points in 74 games, which means the Golden Knights can still tilt play the other way when their top players get rolling.
But McNabb's possible absence would still change the bench. He brings reach, box-out strength, and the kind of calm that matters when a Final game starts to wobble after one bad bounce.
That is why Tortorella kept the answer tight. He does not gain anything by showing Carolina the card early, especially if McNabb is trying to push this right to puck drop.
Still, the read here is pretty simple. If McNabb cannot go, Vegas is not looking for drama. It is looking for the most stable swap it has, and that points straight at Korczak.
Source : Tortorella provides update on Brayden McNabb and possible lineup changes for Game 3.
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 4, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Brett Howden | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mitch Marner | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mark Jankowski | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mark Stone | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noah Hanifin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Tomas Hertl | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Jackson Blake | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
| Dylan Coghlan | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||