When Jack Eichel was traded to the Golden Knights from the Sabres, he came with five years left on his eight-year, $80 million contract signed in Buffalo. This upcoming season is the final year left on that deal, which means Eichel was eligible to re-sign a new contract starting on July 1st, 2025.
Many, including myself, expected the deal to be done fairly quickly after the opening of free agency. Once the dust settled, and with Mitch Marner in gold, it seemed likely Eichel and the Golden Knights would come to an agreement to keep the team’s leading scorer in Vegas for many years to come.
It didn’t happen, and now every day that ticks off the calendar is one day closer to Eichel reaching unrestricted free agency.
It’s certainly not unreasonable that the Golden Knights and Eichel haven’t put pen to paper to this point, and the ensuing discourse is probably unfair, but when superstars in the NHL have contracts hanging in the balance, speculation can’t help but run rampant.
Here’s the most recent, from the Bleacher Report’s Frank Seravalli during their weekly live stream.
Motivation has never been an issue for the Golden Knights. While many other teams have fallen into the complacency trap, Vegas really hasn’t. Even the year they missed the playoffs, the effort and intensity were there every night down the stretch; they simply ran out of healthy bodies to compete.
So, the idea that it could become a problem in VGK’s 9th season is not much of a concern. However, if there were any lingering doubts, a recent anecdote from Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast put that to bed well in advance of the new season beginning.
So one of the things I heard actually was those were some pretty harsh meetings during and after (the VGK vs EDM series). They were disappointed. I think everybody was disappointed. Not that they lost, but they got manhandled. And I think the management was mad. I think the coaching staff was mad. I think the players were mad. And I heard it was B-L-U-N-T, Blunt. And I think there was some understanding that some of those guys were really beaten up. But I think everybody knew how everybody felt about the way they got dominated by the Oilers. We’ll be motivating for them. –Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts Podcast
After failing to score in 127 consecutive minutes against the Oilers, the Golden Knights did not whimper off into the offseason. They had some hard conversations about what went wrong and what needed to be done to fix it.
Clearly, the deficiency that came to the forefront was a lack of scoring wingers, and the addition of Mitch Marner should hopefully fix that problem. Another idea that has been mentioned since the Game 5 loss is the desire to create a fourth line that plays a straight-line forecheck-centered game. Colton Sissons’ acquisition could help address this issue as well.
It would be interesting to know which players were “blunt” in their assessments of the team, especially considering captain Mark Stone missed Game 4 and alternate Alex Pietrangelo was likely aware his future was in jeopardy. Brayden McNabb and William Karlsson, who served as the other alternates, are not the most vocal. Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin, and Tomas Hertl come to mind as the most likely, but that’s simply a guess.
Either way, a second round loss to a division foe obviously did not sit well with anyone in the organization, and there’s going to be an expectation to achieve more in 2025-26. If not, expect sweeping changes as the window on the current roster is shrinking rapidly.
Over the past eight seasons, the Golden Knights have built a strong reputation for their aggressive attitude toward acquiring or moving players off and on their roster, especially around the trade deadline portion of the NHL season. Vegas has completed 17 deals during the league’s silly season, including three a year ago. However, the front office hinted that things could be quiet this time around for the 31st franchise.
Local reporter and friend of the site, Danny Webster wrote this week that Vegas isn’t anticipating making any deadline splashes this season. The club is mostly satisfied with the makeup of the roster and is looking to supplement the team with some reinforcements while impact players like Shea Theodore and William Karlsson are likely capable of returning. However, some analysts are skeptical of VGK’s front office’s statement.
You’ve got to think teams like Vegas, Dallas Winnipeg, Florida, Tampa, Toronto. I wonder what you can get for him with that kind of competition. –Elliotte Friedman, 32 Thoughts Podcast
In his latest column, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman pondered if Vegas would be in the mix for top-tiered winger Mikko Rantanen at the deadline. There are reports that the Carolina Hurricanes could move the prized sniper they acquired a month ago from Colorado. It would likely be a pure rental for Vegas but it’s impossible to find a better lease at any deadline.
UPDATE (8:45 AM) – The Golden Knights announced William Karlsson is now week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He has been placed on IR.
ORIGINAL STORY: On Tuesday’s practice at City National Arena three Golden Knights forwards were missing from the group. Cole Schwindt, who missed the last game, was characterized as week-to-week with a lower-body injury, Brett Howden was said to be out with an illness that may or may not keep him out of tonight’s game, and William Karlsson who was described as taking a maintenance day.
Cassidy said Karlsson is expected to be on the plane to St. Louis which would indicate he’s ready to play and whatever is ailing him is not overly serious. However, some ominous news was dropped by Elliotte Friedman in this week’s edition of 32 Thoughts.
Now there is concern that whatever lingering injury is bothering William Karlsson could cause him to miss the Four Nations Face-Off. We should get clarity soon. Hopefully, everything works out for him. –Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet.ca
Karlsson suffered an injury early in Training Camp which kept him off the ice for nearly a month from September 24th to October 21st. He didn’t see his first game action this season until Vegas’ 9th game of the season on October 26th. He has, however, played in every single game since, with the exception of one game in which he missed due to the birth of his second son.
The standout center’s production has been down this season, scoring just 18 points in his 38 games. He’s been held pointless in the last seven games (coinciding with the beginning of VGK’s 1-5-1 stretch) and he hasn’t hit the back of the net since December 21st, 14 games ago.
Karlsson’s continued inclusion in the faceoff circle likely indicates that this injury is different from the hamstring that hampered him in last year’s playoff series vs Dallas.
Team Sweden’s first game at the 4 Nations Face-off is still 20 days away. The fact that Karlsson’s injury is serious enough to potentially cause him to miss that tournament is certainly something worth monitoring for a Golden Knights team that misses his consistent production.
With less than a month before opening night, the players are returning to Las Vegas to prepare for training camp. Certain Golden Knights are entering the 2024-25 season unsure if they’ll be back in Southern Nevada next season.
2025 VGK Unrestricted Free Agents
Shea Theodore – 2024/25 AAV: $5.2M
Adin Hill – 2024/25 AAV: $4.9M
Brayden McNabb – 2024/25 AAV: $2.85M
Brett Howden – 2024/25 AAV: $1.9M
Ilya Samsonov – 2024/25 AAV: $1.8M
Keegan Kolesar – 2024/25 AAV: $1.4M
Victor Olofoson – 2024/25 AAV: $1.07M
Robin Lehner* – 2024/25 AAV: $5M (LTIR)
Next summer, five Golden Knights from the 2023 Stanley Cup champion team are up for contract renewals. Two, Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore were acquired all the way back at the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Since then, both became impact defensemen for the 31st franchise. After their 2018 Stanley Cup defeat, McNabb agreed to $10M contract over four seasons. Before their championship season, McNabb quietly signed another three-year extension. He’ll be 35 years old in 2025-26 and would likely desire to return. The bottom line is, if the organization wants him back, don’t be surprised when McNabb signs a two-year, $4M extension.
Extending Theodore won’t be as easy.
If Theodore wants to stay and the Knights want him to stay, I always assume this is a place people are going to stay. Now, could there be a whopper of a contract out there that maybe he’s thinking about? We’ll find out. –Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts Podcast
Fans will remember back in 2018, Theodore held out for better terms which he was eventually rewarded with. The player believed in his value and accepted a late September seven-year contract extension. Why should fans believe Theodore will accept any of VGK’s early offers?
One thing I really wanted to say about the Golden Knights was they were a team that really pitched the deferred money to Marchessault. I know there were a lot of teams that really started talking about this when they heard during the season last year what Vegas was trying to do with Marchessault. It wasn’t right for the player under that structure. –Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts Podcast
More on Marchessault’s offer
Like I talked about with Vegas, they pitched this to Marchessault the deferred money. That’s where this came from, was the Vegas idea. The difference between Vegas and Carolina is, Vegas really wanted to punt Marchessault’s money down the road. He would have collected it later. Nobody would tell me exactly when later but it was a time significantly later. Carolina put the deferred money closer. It was a lot closer than what Vegas was willing to do. That was the tweak that Carolina made that got Seth Jarvis to say yes. They took Vegas’ idea and they improved on it. –Friedman on 32 Thoughts Podcast
As we all know by now, Jonathan Marchessault was a late bloomer. He dressed for just four NHL games before the age of 25 and didn’t hit the 70-game mark in a season until he turned 26. It was probably a frustrating journey. Well, maybe up until his 30-goal breakout season in Florida which captured the eyes of the Golden Knights. Since then, it’s been gravy for Marchessault. He’s become a fan favorite, a 40-goal scorer, a Conn Smythe winner, and a household name.
Now, it’s time for the player, his agent, and the Golden Knights front office to decide on the future. Sure, Marchessault is 33 years old and coming off his best season as a pro, so it’s reasonable to be concerned with his age, term, and future value. If Vegas uses a traditional evaluation they would likely pass and let the player walk. However, if they factor in intangibles such as character, leadership, and career usage, then re-signing Marchessault should be the first decision made this offseason.
Don’t forget he didn’t become an NHL regular until he was 27. There’s an argument to be made that the mileage on him is not as great as the mileage on other 34-year-olds. I’ve heard that they were really having a difficult to time to find a term. –Eliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts Podcast
Unlike most, Marchessault has seen much less wear and tear than the average 33-year-old NHL player. For example, Jordan Eberle was born in 1990 and has played 380 more games than his fellow millennial. Sure, Eberle was a coveted prospect and a rookie by age 20 but he has fewer postseason games, goals, points, and hardware than Marchessault. He may have more NHL service, but he hasn’t impacted the league like Marchessault has. And in 38% less ice time.
