NEWCOMER HOLDEN: KNIGHTS AHEAD OF THE PACK

odore received after he missed most of training camp and signed a 7-year, $36.4 million contract, but the barbs have now shifted to Tuch and his new 8-year, $38 million extension. Expect the same for suspended defenseman Nate Schmidt, who this week signed a six-year contract extension worth a total of $35.7 million, when he returns to the team.

The roasting of Tuch, who made his season debut Wednesday after sitting out the first eight games of the year with an ankle injury, may have begun even before the ink dried.

“I’ve been getting razzed, and I expect nothing less,” he said. “That’s nothing new. First time anyone signs a deal like that, first thing anyone texts in the group message is, ‘Alright, team dinner.’”

Tuch is holding out on staging his official contract dinner until after Marchessault and Theodore supply their own, but he’s confident that will come soon. Meantime, Tuch did pick up the tab for a celebratory dinner with Theodore, Cody Eakin and their significant others last week.

He called the Golden Knights as a whole “the best group” he’s been around. Most teams will rave about their chemistry, but Gallant agreed with Tuch and said there was something special with the Golden Knights.

And there was always a concerted effort to make it that way, according to Gallant.

“We talked about it from the day of the expansion draft: We want good people on our team, and that’s what we got,” Gallant said.

And, based on reports out of this past weekend, good dressers. The Halloween get-together — the team had to celebrate early since they’ll be on a road trip to Nashville and St. Louis during the actual holiday — was still a hot topic in the locker room this week.

All the costumes drew rave reviews, but the consensus was that the best-dressed awards went to Fleury and his wife, Veronique, for their backwoods look, and defenseman Deryk Engelland and his wife, Melissa, for their KISS get-up.

Oh, and of course, Holden.

“He hit a home run,” Tuch said. “It was unbelievable. I walked in, and first thing I saw was his behind in those tight shorts and I was like, ‘Oh my God, what did I just see?’”

“He’s been here for a little over a month, two months and moves right into our locker room and fits right in.”

Holden has played for six franchises over his eight-year NHL career, so he has a lot of comparison points when it comes to teams’ closeness. He said the party was another example of why the Golden Knights are ahead of the pack.

“Guys here like to have fun with each other,” Holden said. “It’s just nice when everyone enjoys themselves and aren’t like, ‘Oh God, I’ve got to go to the party.’”