Alright, so we’ve already shared with you what we think the Golden Knights will do this summer (Ken’s Picks, Jason’s Picks). Now, it’s time that we step into the hot seat and try our hand at playing the role of general manager. I (Ken) am going first, and I’m coming in hot!
You make me the GM, you are getting changes a plenty. In simple terms, I look at the current roster and cap situation and I think it will take a set of fortunate circumstances beyond what I believe to be realistic to win the Stanley Cup. Now, I’m not saying the roster is bad, at all, in fact, I believe it is in the Top 10 in the NHL, maybe even pushing Top 5. But, you hired me to win 16 playoff games, not 8, 9, or 10, and that’s what we plan on doing.
We’re here to take risks. We’re here to turn this thing into a true champion, and unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to happen right away. My first order of business is to straighten up the most valuable asset in today’s NHL, the salary cap. Quite frankly, I look at the VGK cap and I see myself in a “you’re probably wondering how I got here” meme. Hell is far too polite a word for where the Golden Knights are salary cap-wise, so we need to straighten it out, and in a big way.
That means trades and lots of them. Buckle up, here we go.
TRADE – Jack Eichel to New Jersey Devils for 2022 1st Round Pick (#2 overall), 2022 4th Round Pick, 2023 2nd Round Pick, and Miles Wood
Yep, we’re doing it. I love Jack Eichel and I think he’s a generational talent that is bound to score 100 points in a season soon. But, I can’t have him and his no-move clause on a roster that already has $9.5 million Mark Stone and $8.8 million Alex Pietrangelo each with no-move clauses of their own. So, I have to do the only thing I can, and that’s move Eichel before that NMC kicks in on July 13th.
Yes, I’m aware this package is not nearly as good as the one this franchise gave up to get him in the first place. If I could take that deal back right now, I would, but I highly doubt the Sabres are up for that so we have to look elsewhere. The key to this trade is obviously the #2 overall pick, which we would select either Juraj Slafkovsky or Shane Wright. (I’d prefer the former, so let’s say we get him.)
We also net an extra 2nd and 4th and a usable player that I’ve been high on for a long time in Miles Wood, which we would instantly sign for $3 million AAV on a short-term deal.
The original trade for Eichel would have been a great move for most franchises based on the price, but for this one it was a mistake. It’s not because of anything to do with Eichel, it’s simply due to the cap situation. It has to be corrected and now is the only time to do it.
TRADE – Max Pacioretty and 2023 2nd Round Pick to Carolina Hurricanes for Teuvo Teravainen and Ethan Bear
Let’s keep the blockbusters going. Pacioretty’s injury history concerns me. Plus, I’m not 100% sure I’m going to have a true Cup contender this year so I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m forced to make a tricky decision on him at the deadline (especially if he’s hurt). We acquire a player who has the ability to score but is also a much more defensive-minded forward. Also, we get Ethan Bear who the Hurricanes are looking to move on from. Bear has arbitration rights but he didn’t have a great year last year so it shouldn’t be too costly to get him under contract on a shorter-term deal (let’s call it $2.8m AAV)
TRADE – Robin Lehner to Chicago Blackhawks for 2022 3rd Round Pick
For my overall plan to work, I need to put a lot of my eggs into the Logan Thompson basket. He’s cheap not only this year but for the next few. If he can become a legitimate starter, we’re going to be in amazing shape for the next three seasons. If he’s not, I need to know it sooner rather than later. Chicago needs a goalie again and I think their first go-around with Lehner was good enough that both he and the Hawks would be willing to try it again. Because we’re not as cap-strapped anymore, we’re able to pull a 3rd round pick out of this.
TRADE – Laurent Brossoit and 2022 5th Round Pick to Buffalo Sabres for 2023 3rd Round Pick
I needed to move Brossoit out too in order to make room for the free-agent goalie I’m going to sign for way cheaper than he’s actually worth.
TRADE – William Carrier to New York Rangers for 2024 3rd Round Pick
While I like what Carrier brings, I just see the point of having both he and Kolesar on the same roster. Kolesar is younger, typically healthier, and has a bit more scoring touch (I think). This extra $1.4 million in cap space is going to come in handy at a future deadline.
TRADE – Shea Weber’s contract and 2023 3rd Round pick to Tampa Bay Lightning for future considerations
This LTIR forever thing isn’t for me. Tampa is already committed to it as they have Brent Seabrook in the same situation, so it doesn’t hurt them too much to do this deal. We sweeten the pot a little with a 3rd, and we’re not committed to 4 years of a retired player anymore.
SIGN – Marc-Andre Fleury for 1 year at $3 million
The owner of this franchise promised this man he’d retire a Golden Knight and you better believe my first move as a GM is to right one of my boss’ wrongs. Also, this franchise needs some good vibes and this will do it in a big way.
SIGN – Chris Tierney for 1 year at $2.1 million
We hired Bruce Cassidy, so we’re going to play wonderful defensive hockey. Teravainen is going to offer a big upgrade in that department and we’re going to keep building this identity with Tierney. In a perfect world, this would have been Phil Danualt, but you hired me a year too late. Tierney is still one of the better defensive centers in the league and in this system, he’s going to anchor a 4th line expected to steal minutes from opposing 2nd and 3rd lines.
SIGN – Paul Stastny for 1 year at $2 million
See the trend here? I honestly believe this team was onto something a few years ago and we’re trying to recapture some of that energy even if I’m well aware that the players aren’t the same as they were years ago. Stastny comes in as a 3rd line center with the hopes that by the deadline he’s a healthy scratch and one heck of a depth piece if we suffer injuries. Plus, we’re trying to teach a new system this year and I think having a coach on the ice will help.
RFA’s – Re-sign Roy ($3m), Kolesar ($1.3m), Howden ($1m), and Hague ($1.2m)
I’d be willing to go a little longer on Roy and Kolesar while sticking with just a one-year deal on Howden. These are all excellent depth pieces that will be expected to anchor my bottom six this year and in the future.
I’m forcing Hague into a bit over the qualifying offer because we’re no longer in a position where he has the ability to hold out. If he’s great, I’ll have plenty of money to pay him what he deserves next summer and will give us a ton of flexibility on the blue line.
WAIVERS – Hutton, Amadio, Coghlan, and Patrick
Part of the plan with this team is to bank cap space so that we can make a massive move at the deadline if the team earns it. I’d first try to offer up each of them and take the minor draft compensation if available, but in the end I think they all get through. If one doesn’t, it’s not the end of the world. The idea of having even three of these players in the AHL as depth pieces is exciting too.
So, there you have it. We now have a 22-man roster that is about $3 million short of the salary cap. Here’s the lineup.
Marchessault-Stephenson-Stone
Teravainen-Karlsson-Smith
Wood-Stastny-Slafkovsky
Howden-Tierney-Roy
(Kolesar)
Martinez-Theodore
Bear-Pietrangelo
McNabb-Whitecloud
(Hague)
Fleury
Thompson
The plan is to be incredibly difficult to play against because of how strong we are defensively. The 2nd line would turn into a dominant shut-down line that could take care of any top-line in the league. The 1st line would get much easier minutes and play a lot with Theodore to generate as much offense as possible. We’re going to rely heavily on our power play to score the goals that we can’t generate at 5-on-5, but the plan is to win 2-1 or 3-2 most nights. Most importantly, we have an identity: Defense-first.
The most important thing we’ve done here though is creating a lineup that has a lot of flexibility. The cap space will accumulate throughout the year which will give us around $12 million in space to add a huge piece at the deadline. That is, of course, if the team earns it. If they are in the mix and we think we can make a true run, we have the ability to buy one or two superstars to supplement the roster. If not, we’re able to move on from the one-year deals and we’ll enter next offseason with upwards of $19 million in space to make the necessary adjustments.
Let’s make one thing clear, I DO NOT believe this team is better than the one currently under contract, but I believe we are much closer to competing with the likes of Colorado, Tampa, Florida, Carolina, and New York for the next few years. We have an 18-year-old superstar to build the future around, we added two extra 3rd round picks in the process of moving everyone out, and we have all sorts of cap flexibility to strike when the iron is hot, whether that’s now or in the next two seasons.
We must win a Cup before Alex Pietrangelo hits the back end of the contract, so the window is not long, but with the flat cap and the fact that Las Vegas as a destination will give us the opportunity to lure free agents at will, either this team is ready to be supplemented or we’ll continue to retool until we have one that is.
Oh, and we’re building a statue on Toshiba Plaza when #29 retires.




George L.
BEAUTIFUL!! Eichel was a bad trade when is was only a rumor.
I like rest of the moves too.
I especially like trading Lehner and scooping up Fluery.
Back to reality. None of this is happening and that’s a real problem.
Ken Boehlke
It’s nice to live in fantasy land for a little while.
Hey, maybe reality works out exactly how McCrimmon and McPhee planned it and we’re the ones missing it. But I’m afraid it won’t.
Richie-Rich
All of this makes great sense except I am higher on Carrier than Kolesar. If we are looking to contend in the next year or two then Carrier is the better option.
I especially like the Fleury idea. I think he has 1 to 3 more years of serviceability if Thompson can take the lion’s share of the minutes.
Bobby
No argument here. Love the sign Fleury, trade Lehner part. Create a position for Fleury after his playing days, and build the statue.
jj
So M-AF will get 4 statues then. PIT, VGK, CHI and MIN.
TS
Bobby, Ya got MY vote!
Papa
Exactly why you will never be a GM lol
Jake
Eichel is the one player I would keep at all costs. He is young, has talent.
Trade McCrimmon to anyone for nothing.
Ken Boehlke
I completely agree that I’d love to keep Eichel. Let me further explain the process of my thinking that led to this. I came to the conclusion that Pietrangelo (32), Stone (30), and Eichel (25) are not aligned age-wise to win the Cup together. It basically has to happen this year or next and I just can’t see that happening with the cap situation this team is in. So, I had to get rid of one or more of them to give myself a chance. The only one I can actually move is Eichel, so it was the only choice, even though not my favorite one. From there, everything trickled down.
Jake
Eichel had a serious injury and surgery. I want to see him playing healthy with a new coach, at all costs.
Big concern for me is whether Stone will ever be Stone again.
Lehner needs to go. Thought it was a good move, not impressed, chronically unhappy about something.
I am looking forward to the new coaching system, new leadership.
I would also keep Patrick if possible.
I think the team becomes a potential Cup team based on whether Wild Bill can become Wild again. If not, well, the scoring droughts are similar to the little lake now behind the Hoover Dam.
Henderson One
Patrick is so injury prone that he will never make a contribution to the VGK.
Jake
“Never” is a big word.
First round draft pick. Hope he heals.
TS
Ouch! Your drought analogy is, regrettably, a realistic one. Hurts, but could hold VERY true.. Let’s hope for better with BOTH…
Mike StG
Ken, they’re not aligned age-wise? How did that become a criteria? Last year Tampa won the cup. Here are the ages of similar role players on that team:
Stamkos 31
Point 25
Hedman 30
McDonough 32
That’s about the same spread in age difference and in fact basically the same ages. Good thing Brisebois didn’t subscribe to your theory in age differences.
That said, I could get behind your Pacioretty trade idea. Terravainen and Bear would both fit well into Vegas’s lineup.
Kellie
Pay someone to take him, even
Anthony
I would need a bag of pucks back in the McCriminal trade. And I would need the pucks in hand first before sending him off. That way I have something to throw at him as he dodges left and right in a zig zag pattern past Fleury’s newly erected statue in Toshiba plaza. Ahhh, the dreams. Maybe I need decaf.
Larry Swaaley
The owner and the general manager are not smart enough to pull this off. Marc Andre Fleury would sell them a lot of tickets but he and his wife won’t trust the owner again. The general manager is the worst in the NHL
Blitz
Yeah but the players might convince him and Foley owning up to the mistake might help. Remember ken is the new gm not dumb ass Mc whatever.
THE hockey GOD
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THE hockey GOD
(O) (O)
[——–}
Bert
Embarrassing content. All you do is crap on the team that beat Colorado, without eichel. And you want to blow it up for literally nothing. Throw away the window for what? It’s like you’re obsessed with being right you always want this team to fail. Get out of the media or go follow the sharks
Dean
The window is closed. We never would have beat Colorado 2 years ago without Fleury. I don’t understand why some people don’t get this. It’s time to start rebuilding and hope we are in contention again another 5-6 years from now.
Kellie
Do we know who the last goalie to stop the Avs in the playoffs was???? MAF
TS
Kellie, GREAT POINT! I mean, yes, MAF made errors…doesn’t EVERY PLAYER? Posters want to crucify him for a ( yes, really bad) gaff that cost us in playoffs. But that doesn’t take away from his AMAZING PLAY throughout his great career. Vegas, overall, LOVES him for what he helped build here, and we’d love to see him back!
JockEnvy
Hell yes. I’ve been in the Eichel trade train since the season ended. Get him out now while you still can and get out of cap hell. The team needs young, inexpensive, and controllable talent. Not three guys taking up a third of the cap. I love this scenario.
Stephanie
I love this ! Esp.since eichel would be the only nmc contract you can trade right now.Besides who would take on anyone else? Lol
The statue going back up where it belongs is the right and best thing to happen to vgk .It gives back legacy & history to a young expansion team and something to be proud of for yrs.
Herby
– Love the Eichel trade
VGK needs to correct the mistake or it will hurt us for a long long time.
Do not think that Logan will ever be a starter in the NHL for a full season but he is o.k. as a backup.
Still like Patrick. I would give him another chance. All he needs is one healthy season.
Jay
Eichel proved himself to be a locker room cancer in Buff, best tog et him out of LV asap! But I think you will have a hard time getting a pick as high as #2 for him, he has proven himself to be damaged goods.
MARK
LOL absolutely horrible roster yet again! That roster there will have Vegas with empty seats in the arena and sitting at home REALLY early watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs yet again lol. Eichel is a generational talent and Pacioretty is the team’s best overall goal scorer. I love the idea of bringing Fleury back and also adding Stastny again along with trading Lehner. Those are the ONLY 3 things you did right. Now if Vegas wants to start a 5-6 year rebuild then yes trade everyone for draft picks and start over however if you intend on trying to contend for anything this upcoming season, then you keep what you have intact. Marchassault is not a top line wing and clearly doesn’t mesh well with Mark Stone so putting them two together will be a disaster. Stephenson is not as good of a center as Jack Eichel so that won’t work well either. Your best top line going forward is Pacioretty-Eichel-Stone. Vegas isn’t going to be able to pickup anyone major to replace what they currently have, so for at least one more year you have to roll with what you have OR you’ll be battling the Kraken and the Sharks for the bottom of the Pacific division next year. Watch and see!! Keep this team in tact as much as possible!!!!!
Danny Gallivan
exactly right Mark.
either Ken is looking for controversy clickbait, or he is seriously lacking in talent assessment.
Hey Ken, if these were F.O. trade mistakes (i.e. you want back Fleury and Statsny and get rid of Eichel), then where are the articles by you clamoring for the firing of the front office guys who made those trades?
Ken Boehlke
I was not a fan of the trade to acquire Lehner and wrote the day it happened that there will be goalie controversy. I expressed major concerns over Pietrangelo’s contract. I have constantly said not only that they shouldn’t have acquired Eichel, but that if they do Krebs can’t be in the deal.
All of it happens, they miss the playoffs, and now I’m looking for clickbait? Mercy.
SS
Statistically, Pacioretty is not your best overall goal scorer. He’s a great talent and a certified sniper but Marchessault is this franchises all-time point getter. He leads forwards in almost every offensive category, including games played, goals created, goals scored, assists, overall points, even-strength goals, PPG’s, GWG’s, shot totals and all of those stats adjusted. Pacioretty leads in only two recorded areas: goals per game and goals created per game. So while Pacioretty is hot when he’s hot, he’s a flash in the pan compared to 81. So to say he’s not a top line winger because he and the Selke-caliber Mark Stone don’t “mesh” is hilarious. Clearly 61-9-67 didn’t “mesh” well either, so you could also argue that Eichel is not a top-line wing. You have to remember so many nights this season all of these line combinations were thrown in a garbage disposal and PDB was praying whatever came back out was going to stick. Cassidy has plenty of time to get these guys meshing and if the hockey gods are good we won’t see too many injuries to these guys this year.
Chris
Getting rid of Eichel and Panda and bringing MAF back would certainly go a long way to restoring the fun and heart of the locker room. It is not a character issue; it is a personality issue for the team. However it would also require GMGMKM to table the hubris and tacitly admit that they were wrong, and that will never happen.
I do have concerns that trading Eichel for a Slafkovsky (and other considerations) does not narrow the window between Pietro/Stone to their next big star but widens it for an unknown quantity (remember you already have a #2 pick on the roster that you just offered to put on waivers). This was a fun exercise although not retaining any breaths on this.
Jeff
Fleury doesn’t fill the seats in the arena……wins do. This team won’t win and quite frankly we be near the bottom of the Pacific for years to come.
MARK
One of the MOST important elements to the game of hockey is team chemistry and chemistry among your linemates. The misfits line has been together since day one, so that’s 5 straight years. Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty both arrived in 2018/2019 so they have all played together for all them years. That’s very important to continue. You don’t make large wholesale changes if you want to have any prayer of a chance to contend next year. Trade Robin Lehner and add some young inexpensive talent to the bottom two lines and keep your top 6 forwards in tact and go for the Cup again this year. Trading away ANYONE from the top 6 will get you no valuable return and the team will really really HURT because of it. Look at the Fleury trade and the recent Dadonov trade. Vegas lost 2 really good players for absolutely NOTHING in return. You just don’t do that if you expect to win and be a championship team. You keep your BEST players and you add young talent via the draft and free agency and come back stronger next year. You certainly don’t add by subtracting your best overall players! Keep what you have intact and go win the cup this upcoming season! That’s the VGK’s best chance!!!
MARK
Every team in the NHL already knows the VGK’s cap situation, so because of that no one is going to give you top value for ANYONE you trade away. So only trade players that we don’t need such as Mr. Robin Lehner. You need to keep our best players and go win the cup. We have a top 5 roster in the NHL right now as currently constructed. So Vegas doesn’t need any major earth shattering moves to contend next year. Vegas actually can create plenty of cap space using LTIR and trading away some of the small / bottom pieces without touching the top guys. Keep everything intact and we have a real shot this upcoming season!!!
Ken Boehlke
I don’t think you understand how LTIR works.
JockEnvy
Is the team creating injuries that will be league approved to make these LTIR moves?
TS
Yes sir, Mark. MAF. STASNY. SCHMITTY. REAVES, all GONE. Did it improve the team? NOPE. Keep the bulk of the current core INTACT. We HAVE talent, just gotta get the lines right, special teams clicking, etc. That ” shiny object syndrome” that Mgmt. seems to have, hasn’t always panned out, despite the revolving- door trades!
knights fan in minny
the canes will not get rid of teaveu
Gary J Potter
It’s clear to me now why you’re hair challenged. Your brain is permanently in overdrive. Great piece, and from the activity in the comments section, many of us are enjoying your work as I do.
knights fan in minny
kings just got a little better traded for fiala
Dean
I think you over rate our goalies greatly. They are both overpaid and no team is taking either unless we eat salary or give up draft capital. And Chicago is not taking Lehner under any circumstances. There’s a reason they didn’t want him to be their long term goalie before and nothing has changed.
Rikky Vegas
Would love to have Fluery back but no way on trading Eichel. I don’t mind trading Patches either but not sure if we can get Hague that cheap. I don’t think any of this ever happens though, but what the hell, go Fluery!!
THE hockey GOD
bad moves
LINDA GRIFFITH
I like this plan, we need Tuck back!! Eichel was/ is a waste of time, money and careers. Lehner, well you all know, not a good choice over Fleury who deserves respect?
Jeff
You’ve judged Eichel on 34 games after having a season off and hoping the newfound respect you might get by resigning a r0 year old goaltender will get you enough wins to fill seats at T-Mobile. I hate to tell you Fleury isn’t stealing enough games to fill the holes this plan leaves in the lineup and now your at least 5 years from the playoffs again.
TS
BOLD MOVES, KEN! I like many of your ideas, but this one: KOLESAR IS NO CARRIER. NOT EVEN CLOSE. Our team is SOFT compared to other teams, and we NEED Carrier. Kolesar is SOFT. Carrier is NOT.
Re: MAF. If mgmt wants to fill those seats again, bringing him back will do the trick! ( sorry, MAF bashers, but he is GOLD for Vegas )
Blitz
I actually like this level of thinking alot. This team has glaring issues and will for years. This attempts to solve alot of them. It is going to take extreme measures. I like it! The one issue it still has is a lack of grit. The team need some sack!
Jeff
Then why not tear it down, start over and rebuild and forget the cup and playoffs for the next 5 to 10 seasons. That’s what he’s partially started. Going back towards a “misfit” team that captured lightening in a bottle is not the solution. You wouldn’t like these moves because you’re well out of the playoff race next season for sure.
Zeke
Carrier, and Kolesar deal doesn’t work for me. Kolesar is good but I wouldn’t let him replace Carrier. Carrier is a physical presence with or without the puck, Kolesar is better without the puck. As soon as he gets a defender on him he losses the puck.
THE hockey GOD
nO Way in hell will VGK bring back the FARCE of franchise, the guy is TOXIc
BAD NEWS
so his his agent, he screwed over this franchise more than once. It is well documented. He may retire in vegas, but not as a VGK
Meanwhile in real news (note no VGK prospect won any thing as far as I know)
Edmonton Oil Kings goalie Sebastian Cossa had a postseason to remember in 2021-22.
Cossa, the Detroit Red Wings’ 15th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, finished the 2022 Western Hockey League Playoffs with a 16-3-0 record, 1.93 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage over a 19-game run to help the Oil Kings win the WHL Championship.
The Fort McMurray, Alberta native also posted a franchise-record five postseason shutouts.
“The faith we have in him, the belief we have in him – we know that he can make those big saves for us and those key timely saves,” team captain Jake Neighbours said about Cossa on June 24. “He’s done that all year long, all postseason long for us. He’s obviously a tremendous goalie – he’s one of the best in the country, if not the best.”
After winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup, Cossa and the Oil Kings advanced to the 2022 Memorial Cup. The 19-year-old netminder made 31 saves in last Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the Shawinigan Cataractes, followed by a 36-save performance in last Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime win over the Saint John Sea Dogs.
Cossa had 32 saves in last Friday’s 4-2 loss to the Hamilton Bulldogs, marking the end of a memorable campaign for the Oil Kings.
“It’s a tough way to end the year,” Cossa said in his end-of-season media session. “I think just take the celebration of winning the Western League into the summer and build on that.”
THE hockey GOD
Red Wings prospect Soderblom wins EHC’s Young Player of the Year
For the second straight year, a Red Wings prospect earned one of the European Hockey Clubs’ most distinguished awards.
Elmer Soderblom, Detroit’s 159th overall pick in 2019, was named the Young Player of the Year at the 2022 Fenix Outdoor European Hockey Awards Gala on June 15 in Prague, Czech Republic.
“Frolunda has been huge for me and for my development,” Soderblom said. “I think their program and the way they develop players is something special.”
To HD BIKER
“I am still waiting”
PS meanwhile the sophisticated fan base of VGK give MAF the FARCE
of Franchise award for last year’s play.
A Fan
I have to admit, I kind of like most of those changes, although most are just a fantasy. The main one I would disagree with is trading Carrier and keeping Kolesar. Big mistake. And two people on here said to keep Patrick…what??? He should be gone.
knights fan in minny
now people want to get rid of jack a year ago all the talk on here was vegas needs a number 1 center to get over the hump
Blitz
We did need a #1 center, but then we bought petra and smoked our cap, without fixing the center issue (in fact we lost a center in stasny). We flat couldn’t afford eichel when we got him and now we are going to pay for all of this for a long time. Eichel is a season plus too late.
Emmanuel
Salary wise this makes sense, talent wise, no.
Teams should either:
1. Compete for the cup
Or
2. Rebuild
These moves would make VGK a 10th best to 20th best team in the league which is NHL purgatory.
Ken Boehlke
And what do you think the team is currently doing?
In my opinion, these moves are getting us OUT of purgatory. Flexibility is king.
Rikky Vegas
What’s everyone think about getting Ville Husso in between the pipes? With the right moves I think we could afford him. Anyone else like him?
knights fan in minny
that would be sweet a husso thompson duo
FG
Excellent thought provoking article Ken. These GM articles are perhaps the funnest of the year. I agree with a number of your points and realize the VGK roster has a number of issues. The greatest challenge is the hubris of the front office that would be unwilling to approach the majority of these trades.
Are the Knights closer to the nostalgic first year team, or more like the team of the last ten games last year? I’d argue the latter and with the improvement of the Pacific will likely be in the wild card chase rather than in first place.
1. Jack Eichel is not an elite 1C. Look at Dom’s analytics.
2. With Reilly Smith returning, there are ten players making $5 million or more, the majority of which are recently injured, have an injury history, or are in decline. The outliers would be Marchy and Theodore.
3. The bottom six lacks scoring, shut down defense, or an identity.
4. Goalie drama and uncertainty
5. The lack of cap space will preclude trade deadline deals which will be needed to improve the roster for the playoffs. Look what Tampa does every year and what the Avs did this year.
6. Avalanche are not the team VGK beat in the playoffs, and look set for a long run of dominance.
Your deals address most of these. Nice job!
Harris Umar
Theo is a faggot and treats Marchy like his boyfriend I see him do weird things and I’m surprised nobody has pointed this out except for me man
Jeff
You’re pleasant. You need a good ass kin king for sure. Do us all a favor and disappear off the face of the earth.
Jeff
*kicking
SS
What’s weird is that you seem to care what they’re doing outside of playing hockey. I would say be better, but you’re probably a hopeless incel who enjoys running their mouth behind the curtain of online anonymity.
knights fan in minny
shut up stupid omar go watch camel racing you pig
TS
I’m surprised that you continue bashing Theo for this absurd crap. I’m not seeing it. You must see perverse innuendo around every corner. I wonder WHY you’re so obsessed with this?? Closet boy-toy, or just a little jealous?
TS
FG, I feel Marchy has been a PLUS all around. He is small, but a literal FIRE ANT on ice. He fights for pucks, isn’t afraid to mix it up on the boards or at goal. He plays every game like it’s a playoff game. Has he EVER been hurt? A workhorse, impeccable work ethic, fearless.. It would be unfortunate to trade him. VGK needs him!
Matt
I am literally dumber from having read this article. . This guys knowledge of hockey could fit in a thimble.
Ogie Ogilthorpe
Wow. So we’re going to
– Sell LOW on Eichel
– Sell LOW on Patches
– Sell LOW on Lehner
– Sell LOW on Brossoit. (which I agree with)
This is some crazy stupid sh*t here, gotta admit. Sell some of the more valuable assets when their value couldn’t be any lower.
Dean
Getting anything for Lehner is not selling low. I would take a bag of chips for him and a first round draft pick. If the trade in this article was a realistic possibility, the organization would be crazy not to accept it. Unfortunately, he’s our biggest anchor and you can’t free yourself easily.
Tim
As GM first here are my offensive keepers, Carrier, Eichel, Karlsson, Marchessault, Smith, Roy, Stephenson, Stone, and Howden at 24 he has upside. Thats my forwards.
Next up my defensive keepers. Whitecloud, Theadore, Petro, McNabb, Hague
Next up my goaltender keepers, Lehner, Thompson
Now the long list of got to go players with the thought that with cap space and players in the minors we’ll have no problem filling the holes.
Amadio, Kolesar, Pacioretty, Patrick, Coghlan, Hutton, Martinez, These players trade let go whatever. With at least 13 million to play with we sign Hague, Roy, pick up Stansty on the cheap if he’d come back and still have cap space to sign some younger quality players. With Brisson, Morezov with potential we could improve the team in my opinion. On defense we still have a good nucleus with a little tweaking we’ll be fine. I don’t know what players we might be able to pickup so instead of just throwing names out there I’ll let Kelly handle that.
Obvious
Throw fat bastard mcriminal out on his big fat ass along with McPhuk up who has worn out his welcome too
Jeff
Those 3rd round picks are going to get you a long way towards the cup……
Erik Vornoff
The proposed deal for Eichel is laughable. A 2nd overall, a 2nd, a 4th and throw in Miles Wood for “damaged goods?” Eichel was a 2nd overall. We’ll see Eichel’s true worth this year, if he doesn’t get injured again.
THE hockey GOD
@ erik
it’s a bit disingenuous to even have a discussion when these people do “if i were GM I would do this” completely ignoring their “if I were a gM I would do this , from last year” and year before and year before. To do this correctly they should start with roster that they projected from prior years. But that is all water under bridge.
I remember when this “fan base” was complaining about
1- MAF
2- RL
3- no center
4- no pk
5- no pp
every day the fan base complains about something.
Better than McCrimmon
This is what I would do if I were GM:
Forwards = 50.475 mil
Miller – Eichel – Stone = 24.75 mil
Debrusk – Dubois – Marchessault = 15.25 mil
Stephenson – Howden – Roy = 6.675 mil
Carrier – Brisson – Patrick = 3.8 mil
Defense = 22.2 mil
McNabb – Pietrangelo = 11.65 mil
Theodore – Subban = 6.95 mil
Hutton – Whitecloud = 3.6 mil
Goalies = 4.767 mil
Husso = 4 mil
Thompson = 0.767 mil
Extra Skaters = 1.525 mil
Amadio = 0.7625 mil
Coghlan = 0.7625 mil
Total = 78.967 mil
CAP = 82.5 mil
CAP Available = 3.533 mil
Offer Contract Extension
Howden = 1.2 mil x 2 years
Roy = 3 mil x 4 years
Acquire via Free Agency
P.K. Subban = 1.75 mil x 2 years
Ville Husso = 4 mil x 5 years
Acquire via Trade
J.T. Miller = 5.25 mil (Extend next year to 8.75 mil x 5 years)
Debrusk = 4 mil (2 years left)
Pierre-luc-Dubois = RFA sign for 6.25 mil x 4 years
Players to Trade
Hague and Webers Contract – Boston for Jake Debrusk
Karlsson, Martinez, Daniil Chayka, 2nd round pick (2023) – Canucks for J.T. Miller
Lehner – Any team 2nd round pick
Zack Dean, Broissoit, 2nd pick acquired via trade – Jets for Pierre Luc Dubois
Better than McCrimmon
Forgot to add Pacioretty, but trade him for draft picks. Maybe late 1st rounder for a team that has a chance to win next year.
Mike StG
Better than:
Hate to tell you this but no way DeBrusk would be on Vegas’s roster. He’s likely the main source of friction between Cassidy and the “younger players” on the Bruins that led to his dismissal in Boston.
Plus your proposed trade deals are not workable for any of the other teams, other than the JT Miller for Karlsson et al.
Bruins are still looking to compete, so why would they consider trading a promising player in DeBrusk for Hague and 4 years of LTIR and dead cap space??
Also, the Jets let Brossoit go in free agency in 2021. Why would they want him back in a trade?
A FAN
FOLEY: KEEP YOUR PROMISE TO FLOWER! LT in the net, ROTATE with LT… Your suggestions sound great, btw!!!