A roundup of all the signings, rumors, and rumbling surrounding the Vegas Golden Knights as free agency opens in advance of the 2022-23 season.
*This article will be updated throughout the day as more information rolls in.*
- The Golden Knights have traded Max Pacioretty and Dylan Coghlan to the Carolina Hurricanes for future considerations. (Source: @DarrenDreger & @PierreVLeBrun)
- A handshake agreement is reportedly in place with Reilly Smith on an extension worth $5m AAV for three years. (Source: @frank_seravalli)
- The deal is expected to be completed today. (Source: @FriedgeHNIC)
- The deal is complete. (Source: Golden Knights)
- The Golden Knights have extended qualifying offers to Nic Hague, Keegan Kolesar, Jake Leschyshyn, Brayden Pachal, Jonas Rondbjerg, and Nic Roy (Source: Golden Knights)
- Roy and Kolesar are each arbitration-eligible. Both will likely file. Each can still sign extensions before their scheduled arbitration dates in August.
- Jonas Rondbjerg has re-signed a three-year deal with an AAV of $766,666. (Source: Golden Knights)
- Brett Howden was not extended a qualifying offer by the Golden Knights, however, reports indicate a deal is being worked on to keep him in Vegas. (Source: @DarrenDreger)
- Howden has extended with the Golden Knights for one-year at $1.5 million. (Source: @PuckPedia)
- VGK did not extend qualifying offers to Ben Jones, Dylan Ferguson, or Jack Dugan. All become unrestricted free agents today.
- Daniil Miromanov signed a two-year extension to remain with the Golden Knights with an AAV of $762,500. (Source: Golden Knights)
- The Golden Knights have signed Sakari Manninen, a 30-year-old Finnish winger who has been playing in the KHL. He scored the game-winning goal at the World Champions and won a gold medal at the Olympics. (Source: @FriedgeHNIC)
- VGK confirmed the signings on Manninen and Spencer Foo, each for $750,000. (Source: Golden Knights)
- Sheldon Rempal has signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Golden Knights. (Source: @DarrenDreger)
- The NHL AAV is $762,500. (Source: Golden Knights)
- VGK have signed goalie Michael Hutchinson to a one-year, two-way contract. (Source: @PuckPedia)
- Byron Froese has signed a two-year contract with an AAV of $762,500. (Source: Golden Knights)
Simplified Salary Cap Tracker
- VGK are approximately $6,452,500 UNDER the salary cap with a 17-man roster (10 F, 7 D, 2 G)
- Eichel, Stone, Karlsson, Marchessault, Smith, Stephenson, Carrier, Amadio, Patrick, Howden – $43,012,500
- Pietrangelo, Martinez, Theodore, McNabb, Whitecloud, Hutton – $25,700,00
- Lehner, Brossoit – $7,325,000
**This is an inexact salary estimation designed to give a rough outline of how much cap space the Golden Knights have to operate with. For exact up-to-date salary cap information, visit PuckPedia.com.**
the hockey God
Wild GM Bill Guerin ultimately felt that trading Cam Talbot was best to avoid “awkwardness.”
The Minnesota Wild signed Marc-Andre Fleury to a two-year, $7 million contract, putting Talbot in the position of being the 1B or backup goaltender next season. While Guerin initially said that his team was “set” and expressed his intention to go forward with a Fleury-Talbot tandem, after reflecting on it further, he changed his mind. “It’s probably best to just move in a different direction with Cam,” Guerin said. “That way there’s no drama. There’s no controversy or anything like that.” Talbot was dealt to Ottawa in exchange for Filip Gustavsson. from rotoworld, seems like avoiding drama with MAF is a known issue
Ulf
Strange conclusion when almost every news report since the MAF re-signing said two things:
1) MAF was happy with deal and said he was told to expect roughly a 50/50 timeshare.
2) Talbot’s agent expressed frustration to Guerin on the signing, saying Talbot was expecting to play far more.
It came to a head at the draft when Guerin said his statement (essentially “Talbot’s agent can say what he wants, I don’t have to trade Cam”).
The relationship between Wild and Talbot soured more after that and Dorion came in with an offer that made sense for Guerin.
It was not MAF, that’s clear from any reading on the subject.
Sometimes stuff like this happens.
Ken
Have to disagree. MAF has an ego bigger than most realize, If he’s not the clear #1, he can’t handle it !
Blitz
Have to disagree. You don’t know shit, but talk like you know lots of shit. Ahh the internet where everyone is an insider just by typing words.
THE hockey God
Ken, history backs you up; remember his back stabbing cartoon when RL was getting all the playoff starts ?
Galdom
Ken, I would have to agree with you.
knights fan in minny
do not know how credible hockey buzz is they have patch going to the preds
Mark
I used to go to that site a lot pre VGK days. I wouldn’t trust them at all. The message boards were more reliable then the actual page
Vic
The NHL has a party today, and the VGK weren’t invited.
Blitz
Patches and Cogs gone for “future considerations”. I am ok with Patches being moved, but fuck around, not even a shitty draft pick and we gave up another prospect. I don’t need someone to explain to me why vegas has an awful front office, there is historical documentation/proof and lots of it.
the hockey God
blitz, they better be planning something big, as replacement. Meanwhile like that Alicia Keys song , THE RED WINGS ARE ON FIRE . WOW.
the hockey God
“She’s just a girl and she’s on fire
Hotter than a fantasy, lonely like a highway
She’s living in a world and it’s on fire
Filled with catastrophe, but she knows she can fly away”
knights fan in minny
american idol look out
Blitz
The plan better include someone that can shoot the puck. I think patches was too expensive for his age and durability, so the cap space is nice, but once again they get rid of a high level asset, one that cost a ton to buy, and then got literally nothing in return…but cap space. If one of these kids or KHL guys doesn’t save VGK’s ass this year then welcome to the Vegas Golden Sharks. Thank god (not u) we reclaimed some cap room for Roy, Hague, Howden, and Kolesar. Nothing says Stanley Cup champions like these now more costly bottom line guys. Maybe we can talk about how great our #3 center Stephenson is going to be on Eichels wing, cause that was an amazing example last year. Hell of a sniper. What a #1 line. Best in hockey. (All sarcasm, for those slow folk who voted for FJB). However, this new system really is going to make Lehner a great goalie again MLGA. So who needs competent goal scoring when he will stop every puck shot directly at the very center of his chest.
VGK fan
Ditto!
Well if the plan is to be a team that can’t score goals my guess is #81 is next to be dealt for future considerations.
knights fan in minny
dropping patches money janmarks money and lbs money could they get a good player
VGK fan
There is no money 6.4 million to sign 4 players and Roy is getting 2.5 million to 3 million of that 6.4 million.
THE hockey God
Jesse Granger
@JesseGranger_
·
9m
Trading for Jack Eichel has now cost the Golden Knights (directly or indirectly due to the cap implications)
Max Pacioretty
Alex Tuch
Peyton Krebs
Dylan Coghlan
16th overall pick in 2022
THE hockey God
i have a problem with that tweet, it’s a tad misleading and over the top
(a lie) and perfect example if VGK needless bashing by media mob hate mentality
VGK fan
What part is not true. They added 10 million with #9 and sent out 4.7 with Tuch. Thats 5.3 million someone had to go.
the hockey God
vgk it’s a moving target and as usual the ‘talking head experts’ are wrong again. See below. “someone said we’d get someone, dynamic’ and we did Reilly smith. So all BS about eichel costing them this or that, is just that. BS
from rotoworld
Reilly Smith has signed a three-year deal worth $15 million with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Smith and the Golden Knights reportedly had the three-year deal in place three weeks ago, but needed the Max Pacioretty deal in place to make the deal and stay cap compliant. He had 16 goals and 38 points in 56 games last season and will look to get to the 55-60 point mark next season if he can stay healthy.
so vgk ges rid of patces, damaged goods who is fragile and can’t take a hit anymore, for reilly smith. Welcome to bettman’screwy louie NHL
VGK Fan
Thg,
You are not alone with your beliefs about Patches and being fragile but to be fair a quarter of the roster last year could be considered fragile.
Just a fun fact. Patches the fragile hockey player everyone on here calls lead the team in goals over the last three years and averaged a half a goal a game last year.
He was also the teams biggest threat on a weak power play.
I do love the Smith signing.
THE hockey God
can someone please define “future considerations”
is like , um, you are on date, buy your date a few drinks, a $100 surf and turf
dinner, a fat piece of carrot cake, take her dancing to nite club, then karoake, where
she kills it and then at 4 am she says ” that’s nice, now take me home and I will give you a call sometime, ok , maybe we can go to disneyland ” ?!?!
hdbiker7851
THg – are those the dates you have gone on in the past – you sound very familiar with the sequence.
THE hockey God
hd , that was one date- from drinks to 4 am ( an over 8 hour date, we were having fun and lost track of time) , excluding the disneyland date which happened later. She brought her daughter. I lost my hair piece on roller coaster and a big seagull took a dump on my newly bought baseball hat. That was my reward for “future considerations’
lesson learned, never wear a toup on roller coaster with screaming kid.
Galdom
Last year really was their best chance and they couldn’t even make the playoffs.
Ken, your thoughts. I’m not a fan of trading a player at their lowest value. I disagree strongly to people who think they should move guys like Lehner or Karlsson and attach huge sweeteners to move their contracts. That nonsense has to stop. They obviously weren’t going to extend Pacioretty and I’m glad they didn’t attach a sweetener to this but they got absolutely no return.
My big question is that if Max Pacioretty is on this team and has stats like this at next year’s trade deadline……..
45 GP 23 G 19 A 42 PT
Can’t you then trade him as a rental and get a first or second round pick?
Ken Boehlke
If Pacioretty was going to be putting up those numbers, someone else would have had to be traded to make them cap compliant.
knights fan in minny
could ryan strome be on the knights radar
Ken Boehlke
Certainly possible. They have a bit of space to work with now.
hdbiker7851
Wait till Patch puts up those numbers for the Hurricanes and Vegas is still looking for the back of the net. He will be closer to his home in Mass so hopefully he is happy with the move. It could very easily turn out to be another one of those “prove them wrong” on his part.
Scooter
Massachusetts? Um, no … Pacioretty is from New Canaan, Ct.
THE hockey God
MAX PACIORETTY
LW, CAROLINA HURRICANES
The Vegas Golden Knights have reportedly traded Max Pacioretty and Dylan Coghlan to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for future considerations.
In other words, Vegas is moving Pacioretty for the sake of getting rid of his $7 million cap hit and were desperate enough to make the trade while getting little or nothing in return. To be fair to the Golden Knights, they did need to create space and this trade addresses that need. Pacioretty was also limited to 39 games last season due to injury and that couldn’t have helped his trade value. However, when healthy Pacioretty is a terrific goal scorer. He had 19 goals and 37 points in 39 games last season and is a great candidate to top the 30-goal milestone if he stays healthy. Carolina can afford his cap hit, especially given that it’s only for one more season, and the Hurricanes consequently wrestled away a high-end forward without surrendering any noted assets.
source TSN
THE hockey God
Carolina has reportedly acquired Dylan Coghlan from the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights also moved Max Pacioretty to the Hurricanes in the deal in exchange for future considerations. It was a pure salary dump for Vegas and the Hurricanes made out like bandits as a result. Coghlan had three goals, 13 points, 108 shots, 61 blocks and 62 hits in 59 games last season. tsn ca
John W
The VGK “Insiders” (more like “Homers”) are saying the Patch trade may include Martin Necas coming back. Anybody else hear that?
knights fan in minny
another d man he is pretty good
knights fan in minny
my mistake necas is a center 23 years old had 40 points
hdbiker7851 (
Moving Patch will turn out to be another huge mistake like Tuck going to Buffalo. Eichel is not worth what it will ultimately cost Vegas to have him around. Just a question – who do they have now that will put the puck in the net on a consistent basis. Nice to keep Smith but there were other alternatives to giving up your goal scorer. Couldn’t help but notice all the love (LOL) for MAF even from you Ken. THe remark about Lehner stopping any shots is enough to make one laugh. No SC with him in the net.
JockEnvy
I do not believe that the NTC has kicked in for Eichel just yet. That should have been taken advantage of but this FO is a train wreck. Good thing he got that surgery to get back in the ice just to be on a team that misses the playoffs every year, just like in Buffalo.
THE hockey God
The Vegas Golden Knights have re-signed Brett Howden to a one-year contract worth $1.5 million.
Howden was not offered a qualifying offer but came to terms with the Golden Knights. He was stretchered off the ice on March 24 after going head-first into the boards and never returned to action, finishing the season with nine goals and 20 points in 49 games. He will play as a bottom-six forward for Vegas next season.
JockEnvy
More and more we see that this front office is a joke and needs to be purged. The trade for Jack Eichel now includes Patches and Coughlan. McPhee and McCrimmon need to go immediately. If this is the beginning of the “Foley being more involved era”, this team is hopeless.
the hockey God
jock envy , the buck stops with the grape stomper, foley. He placed the edict, the FO gives him options. Everyone knows the mantra “win at all costs” is a ‘boom or bust” crap shoot for fledging, beginning franchise. I guess some people didn’t get the memo.
this model foley implemented is far far from EF HUTTON, “we earn it, the old fashioned way’.. It’s more like the buck shot approach, and it was known going in. Fans can’t have it both ways.
THE hockey God
SOURCE: NHL
Jul 13, 2022, 7:19 PM ET
Columbus
JOHNNY Hockey
LW, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Johnny Gaudreau
Johnny Gaudreau has reportedly signed a seven-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
That’s a shocker as the prevailing thought was the Gaudreau was going to play close to his hometown for either New Jersey or Philadelphia. But Columbus is where he will play as the contract is just awaiting league approval. It is believed that he will get in the $9.5 million per season range. Gaudreau had a season for the ages in 2021-22 as he had 115 points in 82 games. He should provide a lot of firepower for the Blue Jackets, especially alongside Patrik Laine.
SOURCE: Elliotte Friedman on Twitter
knights fan in minny
i would have never guessed the blue jackets
Blitz
Close to home AKA “get me the F out of Canada.”
Galdom
He wasn’t good enough but I do recall Lehner making the odd save. He had a .907 save percentage and stopped pucks at the same rate as Marc Andre Fluery. Fluery got worse in the playoffs and had a .906 save percentage.
I do hope that Lehner plays better this year then last years Lehner and Marc Andre Fluery performances.
THE hockey God
@ galdom, Emily Kaplan of ESPN is reporting that RL will have knee surgery this friday afternoon , after dressing as back up for Thursday game for Sal Cap reasons, and will not be available after that due to NHL concussion and Covid protocol. She also reported that he was seen dining at Gordan Ramsay’s Steak Chop house on the Strip on Wednesday allegedly having a side of gravy with home made wiggy biscuits.
Galdom
Bahahahahahahahahaha
The side of gravy is going to kill him
Roberto
Given the Max deal, and the market, I’m wondering what the cost will be to unload Laurent Brossoit.
Many plans have included unloading Martinez, but with all the flux can the team afford to lose that leadership ballast?
Also, wondering if some team(s) step up and drop offer sheets on Roy and Hague that cannot be matched.
Will likely be an interesting next 24 hours.
THE hockey God
ROBERTO correct me if i am wrong i believe those two are RFA and can’t get offers from other teams, this eyar , year that is
MJ
Wrong rfas can get offer sheeted by any other team and compensation is made by the salary offered, look at the Hurricanes signing KK last offseason which cost them their first round pick
Roberto
They are RFAs, TGH. So if a team offer sheets them, VGK can match and retain the player. If the offers exceed VGK’s budget, they lose the player but gain the following comp, based on the contract’s annual value.
Here is the framework:
$1,386,490 or below – No comp
$1,386,491 – $2,100,742 = 3rd round pick
$2,100,743 – $4,201,488 = 2nd round pick
$4,201,489 – $6,302,230 = 1st & 3rd round picks
$6,302,231 – $8,402,975 = 1st, 2nd & 3rd round picks
$8,402,976 – $10,503,720 = 2 1sts, a 2nd & a 3rd round pick
$10,503,720 + = 4 1st round picks
From what I’ve see, the 2nd round comp package would be likely for each of them to be offered and not matched. Maybe higher end of the 3rd round comp package.
Since the team has so little scratch, two pretty good players with upside can be had for relatively reasonable comp.
(If I’m inaccurate, glad to be course corrected by anyone here).
Galdom
https://twitter.com/GoldenKnights/status/1547371257733480448?s=20&t=ksI1yrnr5fuD41tPdjClYg
Reilly Smitj
Mark
Any reason why Vegas would give Howden 1.5 million when his qualifying offer would have been under 1 million?
Why just give away 5-600k?
Galdom
Mark, Brett Howden had arbitration rights so he could have turned down the qualifying offer and went to arbitration where he may have earned more than 1.5 million.
Perhaps he and the team decided to avoid the messy arbitration process
Mark
Thanks. I knew he had arbitration rights, but I just don’t think he would have got that myself.
But you are right, maybe it wasn’t worth the gamble because it would have been below the walk away amount so they would have been stuck at that point
VGK fan
Gladom,
Thanks, my question is if Howden received 1.5 whats Roy worth 2.8?
Galdom
VGK Fan, I think that sounds about right for Nic Roy.
Dean
Chance has to be worried about his position with the organization. This team has shown once again that it has no loyalty at all to the building blocks which have given so much to make hockey in the desert successful during the early years of the franchise. If the front office thought there was a chance to get Gritty, I’m sure they’d offer Chance, Golden Pipes, The Town Crier, and a case of Foley wine to get him.
Roberto
Cold as McCrimmon’s nipples to say it, but I’d be willing to send that package out for Gritty. Although I’d insist on Gritty bringing along a 4 pack of Brewery ARS’s Todas Las Limas to complete the deal.
It’s a limey pale ale. Sounds kind of odd, but it’s spectacular.
knights fan in minny
ducks just got better inked ryan strome
Tim
There is a god Patch is gone made my day. In the quest to win the cup decisions were made that have put us in cap hell. Hey he cost a lot produced decently during the year was a no show in the playoffs and was hurt far to often to be a 7 million dollar man. We all no this was a big mistake when they traded for him out of desperation they gave far more then they should have. So far for Fleury, Dadanov, and now Patch we’ve gained Webers IR unable to play status that’s it. I’ll bet Martinez is next is he worth 5.9 million for the next two years?
VGK fan
Patches playoff numbers were actually about the same as 61 over last 3 playoffs.
I could be wrong but he averaged a point a game the last 3 years. Not sure who you think we have thats better offensively.
I doubt Stone with his back probably Eichel probably. This team just got a lot weaker.
Hdbiker7851
Now get rid of Lehner and brossoit and that would be progress.
THE hockey God
VGK have made a mockery of NHL SAL CAP rules, just like the libs/dems making a mockery of constitution.
Hdbiker7851
Vegas buy high and sell low – Foley didn’t make all his money doing it that way. I am surprised he even puts up with those two morons. Do they have pictures or something on Foley- there has to be a reason they are still around
Rob S
They won’t be after the VGK misses the playoffs this season and 5000 season ticket holders choose not to renew.
Questions for McClown:
1. Who’s your top line LW, fat?
2. Why even have Eichel when he doesn’t have a sniper to pass to?
3. What’s your plan with (too many) average goaltenders that can’t stay healthy?
4. When are you going to quit overpaying for assets and then selling them off at their lowest value?
My guess would be that our tame hometown media didn’t ask any uncomfortable questions this morning. McClown is lucky this isn’t Toronto or Montreal or Philadelphia.
Finally, my favorite question:
5. When are you getting fired and returning to the Brandon Wheat Kings?