(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)
Over the next two months, the Golden Knights will tweak their roster in hopes of creating a legitimate contender. Every maneuver the club decides to make will need to keep the salary cap in consideration. Yesterday Ken shared his predictions, now here’s mine.
TRADE – Alec Martinez and a 5th round pick traded to the Detroit for a 4th round pick
There’s just no way around it, the Golden Knights need to shed salary. Trading Martinez to Detroit makes sense for both teams and the player. The Wings have space and could use an elder statesman to direct their young d-core, and mentor Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider. Let’s not forget to mention Martinez was born and bred in Rochester Hills, MI. It’ll hurt the Golden Knights but in a cap world space is much more important than an expensive veteran with miles. This also allows some flexibility for a possible multi-year deal with Nic Hague.
TRADE – Laurent Brossoit and a 4th round pick to Dallas for 5th round pick
Brossoit is another easy candidate for some cap relief. Logan Thompson made his case to become Robin Lehner’s backup and proved he can handle the pressure of being a number one. This allows the Golden Knights front office to undo their unnecessary spending of $2.5M last summer. It might seem like an odd destination considering new Stars coach Pete DeBoer had some sharp comments after one of Brossoit’s performances in Vegas. However, there’s space and a fit for a veteran backup to support up-and-comer Jake Oettinger.
TRADE – William Carrier traded to Carolina for a 4th round pick
Remember, in a flat cap world every dime counts. It’ll be sad to see one the few remaining Original Misfits move on but the Golden Knights have shown in the past that business comes first. Unfortunately, Carrier can be replaced with cheaper options like Keegan Kolesar, Michael Amadio, and Brett Howden. On the other side, Carolina could use more muscle to add to their dynamic lineup. Carrier has the grit and the speed to keep up.
Max Pacioretty – Plays Out Contract
Here’s the truth (I believe), Vegas would love to trade Max Pacioretty. He’s been in trade rumors for the past few summers but clearly, the Golden Knights haven’t found the right deal. At $7M for one more season it’s possible a suitor is lurking, or maybe the club stomachs the cap hit for one more season. Realistically, the team lost offense by moving Evgenii Dadanov for cap space, losing Pacioretty’s offense would put VGK in a difficult predicament. Sure, they will have a full season of Jack Eichel and hopefully most of the season with a healthy Mark Stone but it’s not enough without #67. To compete with Colorado, Vegas will need as much offense as they can get. Trading Pacioretty will leave them with a large hole. There’s no doubt that the Golden Knights will try and move the 14-year veteran but ultimately, they will reunite for one more run at the Stanley Cup. After all, 31 goals on average is worth $7M or more.
Nic Hague – Threatens Hold Out
Hague is due for a multi-year, multi-million-dollar agreement, so why would the 23-year-old take anything less? The answer is easy, Vegas’ front office will offer him a qualifying offer and no more. The FO will try and intimidate the young defenseman into signing their deal ignoring that it truly doesn’t benefit the player. Hague doesn’t have arbitration rights yet but I’m sure his agent will threaten a hold out when negotiating with VGK’s shrewd managers. The holdout may not last long, but it’ll help the 6’6 defenseman earn the contract closer to what he desires.
Curtis Lazar signs a 1-year/$1.1M
Lazar added 16 points (8G/8A) for Bruce Cassidy’s Bruins last season. Lazar blocked shots, killed penalties, finished checks, and averaged 12 minutes per night. The 27-year-old former first round pick is not much of an offensive weapon but he can act as a versatile role player. Nevertheless, he won’t cost the organization much. Most importantly, he stepped up for Boston in the playoffs and has shown to be a bottom-six player Cassidy feels comfortable with.
Ryan Dzingel accepts PTO
The former Senator, Blue Jacket, Hurricane, Coyote, and Shark could serve a bottom-six role on the cheap and there’s very little risk. Dzingel is the classic reclamation project. He’s had success in the past averaging 24 goals per season from 2017 to 2019.
Considering, Vegas re-signs Nic Roy and Keegan Kolesar to market prices, here is next season’s projected lineup. There is plenty of time to negotiate so Hague is still in the lineup.
Pacioretty-Eichel-Stone
Marchessault-Karlsson-Smith
Lazar-Stephenson-Howden
Kolesar-Roy-Amadio
Hague-Pietrangelo
McNabb-Theodore
Hutton-Whitecloud
Lehner
Thompson
THE hockey GOD
nice go at it JAson, I think you are selling marty and back up goalie TOO LOW ! Maybe a tad higher on draft picks.
Now two questions.
If the Oakland A’s move to VEgas, should this age old franchise (Philadelphia A’s, Kansas City A’s, Oakland A’s ) remain as the Las Vegas A’s, or should they change to Las Vegas wrAnglers , gAmblers, desporAdos? DeplorAbles ?
Second question, considering the following list, are the VGK soft ?
Nikita Kucherov RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
Nikita Kucherov dealt with a meniscus injury.
Kucherov had eight goals and 27 points in 23 playoff contests this year. Even with the injury, he was the fourth best scorer in the postseason.
Source: Joe Smith on Twitter
Jun 28, 2022, 12:05 PM ET
Ryan McDonagh D, Tampa Bay Lightning
Ryan McDonagh had his finger “mangled” when he blocked a shot during the Lightning’s series against the Rangers.
McDonagh had a goal and five points in 23 playoff games. He averaged 22:26 minutes in the playoffs, including an average of 22:58 minutes in the Stanley Cup Final in spite of the injury.
Source: Joe Smith on Twitter
Jun 28, 2022, 11:58 AM ET
Tampa Bay
Corey Perry RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
Corey Perry battled through a shoulder AC joint sprain.
Perry scored six goals and 11 points while playing in all 23 playoff games. He’s reached the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last three years and has logged 190 career postseason contests.
Source: Joe Smith on Twitter
Jun 28, 2022, 11:52 AM ET
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Tampa Bay
Nick Paul LW, Tampa Bay Lightning
Nick Paul
Nick Paul had a MCL sprain as well as a shoulder AC joint sprain.
Paul scored five goals and nine points in 23 playoff games. He averaged 18:18 minutes during the postseason without missing a single contest despite his injury.
Source: Joe Smith on Twitter
Jun 28, 2022, 11:48 AM ET
Tampa Bay
Brandon Hagel LW, Tampa Bay Lightning
Brandon Hagel
Brandon Hagel suffered a fractured foot during the second round.
Hagel didn’t end up missing a playoff game. He had two goals and six points in 23 postseason contests this year.
Source: Joe Smith on Twitter
Jun 28, 2022, 11:44 AM ET
Tampa Bay
Anthony Cirelli C, Tampa Bay Lightning
Anthony Cirelli was dealing with a dislocated shoulder in the Stanley Cup Final.
Cirelli still played in all six games of the Stanley Cup Final. He had three goals and eight points in 23 contests, including two goals and three points in the finals.
Source: Mari Faiello on Twitter
Jun 28, 2022, 11:43 AM ET
Tampa Bay
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare C, Tampa Bay Lightning
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare had a meniscus injury going into the playoffs.
Bellemare still participated in 23 postseason games, scoring two goals and three points over that span. He averaged 10:43 minutes per contest.
Source: Mari Faiello on Twitter
Jun 28, 2022, 11:41 AM ET
Tampa Bay
Brayden Point C, Tampa Bay Lightning
Brayden Point had a torn quad muscle.
Point was injured in Game 7 of the first round. He tried to return in the Stanley Cup Final and did play in two games, but ultimately ended up back on the sidelines. The good news is that he’s a few weeks away from returning.
THE hockey GOD
i think we should trade marchessault
THE hockey GOD
me too
knights fan in minny
smoke some more
seth bayles
If we trade Marchy or Patches, we should just straight rebuild because we won’t have anywhere near enough offense to compete with the Avs or Flames next year. I personally have zero confidence that Stone will anywhere near the player he was before the back injuries. If he’s not the same player, it really doesn’t matter what we do to be honest…we’re screwed.
THE hockey GOD
@ Seth, then maybe Stone is one to go, and keep the other two ?
VGK Fan
I like what you did Jason, with the exception of moving Carrier out of the line up. He is one of the few players who still brings a physical presents. I also love Carrier speed and ability to draw penalties. I would move on from either Patrick or maybe Kolesar and pass on Lazar.
Another problem with your line up you have Roy on the 4th line. I really don’t think its a good plan to pay a guy north of 3 million to play 4th line minutes. The team is in a tuff place Roy averaged a .05 per game last year and based on his numbers he is likely to get north 3 million if he goes to arbitration. The team could make the argument his numbers were inflated because of the injuries to key players and Roy seeing a lot of time on the 1st 2nd and 3rd lines.
knights fan in minny
carrier has to stay works his ass off can play a speed game kill penalties has some grit
Galdom
I agree Knights Fan In Minny. Carrier definitely is a hard worker.
Tim
Martinez I can see we gave a second for him now we give him away but that’s what they consider progress. I’d never trade Carrier and for a measly 4th round pick Kolesar would go before him. The Knights candy store has been open with the likes of the following guys costing us 2nd round picks. Patch, Janmark, Cousins, Martinez, Lehner, Tatar, Eichel, and whoever I forgot what could our farm system have looked like? The beauty of this is we are now trading them basically for nothing because of the cap hit we created in the first place. I don’t know what kind of bean counter would keep a job long using this logic.
TS
Carrier is a machine. Shows up every game, hustles, hits, battles on the boards, has RARELY been hurt. He is a VGK warrior, and we need to Keep him!! And: Kolesar is NO alternative.
knights fan in minny
well said ts
TS
THNX, MINNY! Positive HOCKEY feedback is refreshing!
A Fan
I agree with all the others. Carrier should NOT be traded…period. Kolesar or Patrick traded would be no loss. Both belong on the Silver Knights, not the VGK anyway. As to those who say trade Lehner, while I agree VGK will never see the Cup with him, nobody in their right mind would take him at $5M/year. He’s worth half that as a backup goalie. He is not an elite goaltender.
Hdbiker7851
Jason – I guess neither you or Ken figure Vegas can peddle off Lehner to some other sucker like Vegas was which is unfortunate. They will not be a contender for anything if they continue to deny what a liability he is performance wise not even taking in consideration the distraction he is. There are a number of guys that should go before Carrier is even discussed as he is one of a very few who show up to play every game. They may be thinking they can continue to play the cap game which in their case is not a plan for success. Hopefully they don’t see anymore new toys they just have to have at all cost.
THE hockey GOD
biker if he goes, who’d you like for legit no. 1 goalie?? (other than LT who is obviously not ready yet based upon his performance in post season international series)
knights fan in minny
IS that what your crystal ball says
hdbiker7851
THg – whatever happens RL won’t make a difference as he is a liability – so whoever they replace him with will be a step in the right direction. I doubt they can find another sucker – then again it takes one to find one so maybe they can. What a fortunate situation that would turn out to be. There are a number of posters on this site that think VGK mgt are geniuses. If that were the case, they would not have gotten themselves into the situation to begin with.
Jay
Need to admit mistake and dump Eichel – huge loss moving Tuch for him, now need tpo move Carrier too? He’s a loser and will continue to mess with the locker room.
Pistol Pete
Tuch is probably a career .6 pts/game guy tops. Eichel is closer to a point a game. Not even a discussion.
I have high hopes for Cassidy and Eichel.
JockEnvy
The straight comparison doesn’t matter. It’s the points vs cap hit. Eichel will not be a good return on that investment. Guaranteed.
Calamity 9
So, trade away, Martinez, Brossoit, and Carrier for a return of one 4th round pick?
That sounds terrible!……….and likely to happen considering our recent roster moves and cap issues.
JV
Carrier on Stephenson’s wing, even though he has missed games at unfortunately times. He has the speed to keep up. Brossiot can always be waived to save 1 million on the cap if not traded. Should not be giving up a bigger asset just to get rid of him. Someone claims him, so be it.
McCrimmon really thinks Sean Burke was an ELITE NHL goalie???? Now that is funny. Braithwaite did earn the common nickname “Red Light” while in the NHL.
Sean Burke is a great addition to the organization, with tremendous experience as an elite NHL goaltender and an accomplished coach and executive,” he added. “We are pleased to keep Mike Rosati in an influential role across the organization. With those two and Henderson goaltending coach Fred Brathwaite, we have proven, qualified expertise at the goalie position.”
Emmanuel
1. You don’t want ex-Sens on your team. See #2.
2. Dadonovs value is WAY overrated. He got ONLY 20 G with tons of top line and PP time and is iffy defensively.
3. The players they should trade are Martinez & Lehner, he’s a 1B G.
Blitz357
I always hear you folks say lenher is amazing (stats stats stats) but yet we can’t trade him unless we give picks. He only makes 5 mil which out of his own mouth, he is under paid…I mean those stats…right? So hell, let’s trade him for a 1st rounder and a player. People should be breaking down doors for this elite specimen. On second thought Cassidys system makes it easy on goalies so as long as no one is actually shooting pucks at the net, lenher will be fine and by fine I mean other than the fact that he has injury issues and mental health issues. So as long as no pucks physically make their way to him he is good maybe 40 games and will have good stats. Win for everyone!
Obvious
Lehner underpaid…. Hmmmmm
Lehner is a psychotic whack job who will haunt this team until the day the door hits him on the way out
the players can’t stand him and his never ending BS
There is a reason no other team tolerated him long
Fat bastard threw the coaches under the bus for him and he thinks the world revolves around him now
Anyway trade who ever you want but it isn’t going to turn the team into a contender. Will be lucky to make the playoffs especially if the canucks improve a little
Pistol Pete
Obvious you belong up there in Seattle bashing a last place expansion team.
THE hockey GOD
don’t know where you get your inside feed, players hate him ??
He’s a team player !
“Lehner is a psychotic whack job ” what part of “wiggy biscuit” is not CLEAR to you ?
Fathawk
I mean they really beefed up in the goalie coach department, I’d say that makes Lehner a victim of cap relief and possibly brossoit as the back up. Trim around the edges and they would have room for the year with ltir and they could trade patches at the deadline if he does not perform.
Gudgreef
Eichel was a stupid decision. Yes, he is an elite player, but. Stephenson was doing a really good job on the 1st line. Picking up Jack automatically put us in salary cap trouble (which McCrimmon seems to enjoy)