Syracuse, N.Y. -- The Syracuse Crunch is just a couple weeks away from beginning work on its 26th season in the American Hockey League.

Tampa Bay is expected to assign its initial wave of players to Syracuse on Sept. 22 and the first practice here is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 24. The first few workouts will be at Syracuse University’s Tennity Ice Pavilion and then at Cicero’s Twin Rinks. The first skate in the War Memorial is slated for Oct. 2.

Here’s a look at 6 questions that are among the issues the team will be dealing with heading into the season:

How will the goalie situation sort itself out?

That won’t be known for awhile, but right now it’s hard to see it breaking any way but great for the Crunch.

Syracuse began the off-season with zero veteran goalies after Connor Ingram was traded to the Nashville organization and Eddie Pasquale jumped over to play in the KHL.

That left Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois with some free agent work to do, and BriseBois got right after it.

BriseBois signed veteran Scott Wedgewood, who was one of the best goalies in the AHL for Rochester last season. Spencer Martin, who played with Colorado of the AHL last year, was also brought in as a good fit for a backup spot.

Then, as an added bonus, the Lightning picked up NHL vet Mike Condon in a deal with Ottawa. Both Wedgewood and Condon would be legit No. 1 stoppers in Syracuse as well as be capable of backup work in Tampa Bay.

The good news for the Crunch is that no matter which one might be recalled or hurt, there should be no discernible dropoff by making the other a workhorse.

How quickly will new leadership mesh?

The typical off-season turnover in personnel extended to the team’s coaching and management this summer.

Joe Palmer was hired as Syracuse’s new goalie and video coach and Éric Veilleux was brought in as a new assistant. Palmer replaces Karl Goehring, who took a goalie coaching job at North Dakota, and Veilleux replaces Ken Klee, whose contract was not renewed. Veilleux was the head coach for the Halifax Mooseheads last season and previously held that same spot with San Antonio of the AHL.

Syracuse also has a new general manager in Stacy Roest. Roest takes over for BriseBois, who shared GM duties of both Tampa Bay and Syracuse last season. This should be a smooth transition because Roest has worked extensively with the Crunch as the organization’s director of player development since 2013. He and BriseBois are in near lock-step when it comes to their approach to Syracuse and the importance of winning in the AHL.

Who will be the new captain?

Forward Gabriel Dumont, who formerly wore the ‘C,’ has left for the Minnesota organization. But there are still plenty of candidates left to jump into this top leadership position.

The line forms behind defenseman Luke Witkowski. He was Syracuse’s captain briefly in the 2016-17 season before getting a permanent call to the NHL, first with Tampa Bay and then Detroit. He re-signed with the Lightning organization last off-season.

Returning forward Daniel Walcott is also a great option. Despite missing most of last season with injuries, he remains a strong and popular presence in the locker room.

The same can be said for blueliner Cameron Gaunce, entering his second season with the team. Veteran point machine Chris Mueller, who joined the team as a free agent from the Toronto organization, is another player who should be in the mix for the role.

Who is this season’s breakout newcomer?

No organization mines overlooked (and often undersized) gems as consistently as the Lightning. Last year’s prize was undrafted free agent Alex Barre-Boulet, a forward who paced AHL rookies in scoring (34-34).

That’s a tough act to follow, but keep an eye on forward Peter Abbandonato. Abbandonato, who was also undrafted, dominated in 68 games with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL last season posting 29 goals and 82 assists. His 111 total points earned him the Jean Beliveau Trophy for most in the league, while his 82 helpers, 28 power-play assists and plus-71 rating also paced the QMJHL. He then put up 27 points (6-21) in 15 games as the Huskies claimed the 2019 Memorial Cup.

How about a returning veteran on the cusp of emerging?

With so many young players showing NHL potential, the Crunch is lucky to have a long list of candidates in this category.

That’s especially true at the forward position (Taylor Raddysh, Boris Katchouk, Alex Volkov, Mitchell Stephens, etc). But the real player to watch could be second-year blueliner Cal Foote. Foote, a first-round pick in 2017, played all 76 games for Syracuse as a rookie last year and contributed 10 goals and 21 assists to go along with a plus-16 rating.

Tampa Bay could use a little young depth at defense and Foote, who doesn’t turn 21 until December, might find himself in the Lightning’s plans very soon.

Which potential Crunch players must first clear NHL waivers?

This is always a vexing challenge for every NHL team that wants to send a veteran to the minors. Once a player reaches a certain level of pro experience, he must clear NHL waivers before assignment to the AHL. That gives other NHL teams a chance to make a claim and put the player on its roster.

Several possible key contributors to Syracuse this season will have to first pass through waivers.

They include forwards Gemel Smith, Cory Conacher, Carter Verhaeghe, Chris Mueller and Walcott, defensemen Ben Thomas, Luke Schenn, Gaunce and Dominik Masin and goalies Condon, Martin and Wedgewood.

It is unlikely that the Lightning would try to pass Verhaeghe through waivers. He won the AHL scoring crown with the Crunch last year and, at age 24, would be very attractive to another organization eager to give him a NHL shot.

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