From news about Las Vegas Raiders to updates on the Golden Knights’ starting roster, here’s everything that happened last week in Las Vegas Sports (Aug 15 – 21).
#6 Logan Thompson is likely to start the season for Las Vegas Golden Knights
Las Vegas Golden Knights Goaltender Logan Thompson might have been a rookie last season, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t impress. The young man put up a 10-5 record as a starter during a critical stretch of the season last year and he only had a 2.63 GAA.
According to sources that spoke with San Jose Hockey Now, the plan is to have Thompson as the starter to begin the season.
The likely backup in this scenario will be Michael Hutchinson, who signed with Las Vegas earlier this year. They will get Laurent Brossoit back in the lineup, but a timetable is not clear. Robin Lehner, however, will be out for the entire 2022-2023 season after choosing to undergo surgery.
#5 Derek Carr returns to NFL’stop 100 list after a four-year absence
NFL.com has released its picks for the top 100 players for the upcoming 2022-2023 season, and one entry should serve as sweet vindication. That’s right! Las Vegas Raiders franchise quarterback Derek Carr returned to the list for the first time in four years. He is ranked 65th and has all the promise in the world to improve those numbers.
Why else would Las Vegas sign him to a three-year, $121.5 million contract? Or even bring in his former Fresno State teammate, Davantae Adams, to help in the passing game?
#4 Kyle Busch reportedly has multiple offers on the table.
Where will Las Vegas native Kyle Busch race in 2023? The answer to that question is slowly coming into focus after Corey Lajoie claimed on his podcast that Busch would not be returning to the #18 car next year. Lajoie did claim, however, that there were several offers on the table for the Candyman’s services in 2023
“Kyle Busch is not driving the 18-car next year,” LaJoie said during an August 17th episode of The Stacking Pennies with Corey Lajoie podcast. “It’s not happening. I hate it for the Kyle Busch fans. He will find a job somewhere. I’m hearing some rumors there are certainly offers on the table. A potential Chevy team — two potential Chevy teams — a potential Ford team, and there’s also an option with Toyota.”
#3. Darren Waller returns to Las Vegas Raider practice
Raider Nation can finally breathe a sigh of relief after Darren Waller officially returned to practice last week. The news comes after it was reported that Waller was nursing a hamstring injury, which forced him to sit out for three weeks. It is worth noting that Waller missed noticeable time in last year’s preseason with a similar injury.
Waller has been a decent target for Carr, connecting on 55 receptions for 665 yards and two touchdowns. While those numbers don’t sound very impressive, Waller believes this year will be different. In fact, he says the team’s new coach will help make all the difference in 2022.
“There were many times in the last couple of years where I felt like there wasn’t a clearly defined attack in the red zone or like a plan for me specifically,” Waller said via Heavy.com. “Now I kind of feel like that’s something that’s in place with Josh.”
More: 19 Mindblowing facts you might not know about Las Vegas
#2 Kurt Busch announces he will sit out until the NASCAR playoffs.
The Kurt Busch concussion saga took another interesting turn last week after the Las Vegas native announced that he would be sitting out the next two races of the season. He posted this news on Twitter, where he also said that the plan was for him to return at Darlington.
“Over the last few weeks, I have focused all my efforts on improving. And to fully focus my recovery on trying to be back for the Playoffs, I will not be competing in the next two races at Watkins Glen and Daytona,” Busch stated in an announcement on Twitter. “It’s my goal to be back in the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD to start the playoffs. I know Ty will continue to do a great job in my absence, and I appreciate that competitiveness he’s brought to the track.”
#1 Las Vegas Raiders go 3-0 after topping the Miami Dolphins in preseason action.
The Las Vegas Raiders are coming into the 2022 season with a lot to prove, starting with the preseason. Fortunately for Las Vegas, they are now 3-0 after holding off a 4th quarter comeback by the Dolphins on Saturday. The final score was 15-13, but that doesn’t reflect the whole story.
The Raiders once again held their opponents out of the endzone for three straight quarters. They didn’t slip until in the game’s final quarter when Skylar Thompson connected with Zaquadre White for the Dolphins’ sole touchdown.
Looking at the running game, Britain Brown saw nine snaps for 70 yards and an average of 7.8 yards per carry. Zamir White scored the Raiders’ only touchdown of the game and took five snaps for a total of 8 yards. Nick Mullens and Jarrett Stidham split time at the QB position with mixed results.
The Raiders had several players show up on defense, including Darien Butler, Sam Web, and Luke Masterson. They each racked up four tackles and even had at least one assist.
Next: What former Las Vegas players had to say about their team
