Tag: Free Agency

Revisiting William Karlsson’s 2019 Extension

On May 30, 2025

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

By now, fans have heard or read about the current rumors circulating around the Golden Knights offseason. With prized free agent winger Mitch Marner likely going to the open market, coupled with Vegas’ inability to win multiple rounds over the past two postseasons, the fit is already being discussed. Unsurprisingly, the Golden Knights front office would need to shed salary in order to offer Marner anywhere close to market price.

Last summer, there were teams that inquired about Mitch Marner, and Vegas was one of them. They obviously didn’t get there, but I believe Vegas would have been a team he would’ve waived to at that time. I fully believe Vegas is a team he’d be interested in signing with this summer. How they pull that off—it’s going to take a lot of juggling—but you can’t count out Vegas when it comes to making those big-time, big-time splashes. They’ve done it pretty much every year since they entered the league. – David Pagnotta, The Fourth Period

In 2019, the Golden Knights agreed with center William Karlsson on an 8-year/$5.9M AAV contract extension. It was thought to be an extremely fair deal for the player and the organization. In fact, maybe too good of a deal. When the extension was announced, then general manager George McPhee admitted that Karlsson’s contract was so reasonable he could likely move down the lineup in his later years. Or move the contract down the road. Say, six seasons down the road.

The great news with (Karlsson) is that if he ever tailed off at the end of that contract he’s still a really useful player because he’s great defensively and you can play him all over the lineup. – George McPhee on June 26, 2019

Six offseason’s ago the Golden Knights were looking to improve after exiting the postseason in seven games. VGK’s front office were focused on getting the most out of the players that were already with the club. Extending Karlsson was crucial for their 2019 summer plans as well as agreeing to deals with other internal RFA/UFAs.

Could Theodore Be Eyeing “Whopper” Deal Through Free Agency?

By Jason Pothier

On September 12, 2024

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

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?

Somewhat Revenge Games On VGK’s 2024-25 Schedule

By Jason Pothier

On July 22, 2024

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

When you have a lot of roster turnover like the Golden Knights had this offseason, naturally there will be some revenge games on the schedule. In 2024-25, the Golden Knights will have several emotional, personal, and potentially vengeful games on the docket. Which makes for great drama leading into the matchup.

Former VGK Players First Return In 2024-25

Michael Amadio (OTT): 10/25/24
Willam Carrier (CAR): 11/11/24
Logan Thompson (WAS): 11/17/24
Chandler Stephenson (SEA): 12/21/24
Alec Martinez (CHI): 2/27/25
Paul Cotter (NJD): 3/2/25
Jonathan Marchessault (VGK): 4/12/25

On April 12, 2025, the Golden Knights will be hosting the Central Division’s Nashville Predators… strike that, the Golden Knights will be hosting Jonathan Marchessault’s Nashville Predators. The original Misfit will make his homecoming late in the season which is a real bummer for VGK fans. On the flip side, Marchessault likely prefers the late-season emotional return to Las Vegas. This way he will be long settled into his new club without the distraction of an early T-Mobile Arena matchup with the Golden Knights.

It might not be quite the same level — particularly given Vegas’s recent track record of shipping out former franchise mainstays to remain ruthlessly competitive — but in the wake of Marchessault’s comments about how his Golden Knights tenure came to an end, his own homecoming promises to bring some fireworks of its own. Asked this week about his conversations with the Golden Knights brass before leaving the club he won a Conn Smythe with just two seasons ago, Marchessault made clear he’d wanted to stick around, but Vegas has other ideas. “They just didn’t believe in me for the remainder of my career, I guess,” the veteran said of his conversation with president George McPhee and general manager Kelly McCrimmon before he was sent packing. He’ll make his return to T-Mobile Arena on April 12, to make them believe. –Sonny Sachdeva on Sportsnet.ca

Naturally, the Golden Knights will face off against Pacific Division rival Seattle Kraken four times in 2024-25. Former VGK center Chandler Stephenson will return to Las Vegas with his new squad on December 21st. Stephenson will not yield the same lengthy ovation Marchessault will receive but it’ll certainly be a loud welcoming by fans at T-Mobile Arena. Remember, Stephenson represented the Golden Knights in the 2023 All-Star game, and was second on the team in scoring in both 2021-22 and 2022-23. In 327 games the 30-year-old center recorded 237 points in a Golden Knights uniform. He was an overall success in Vegas and would have continued to be if he had been offered a similar deal to the one he received from Seattle. Most notably, Stephenson is the only player in league history to hoist the Stanley Cup cup twice at T-Mobile Arena. So, it should be a special return for him as well.

Western Conference Contenders Beefed Up Top 6

By Jason Pothier

On July 16, 2024

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Several teams made splashes last week during the July 1st free agency period, especially the Nashville Predators. Painfully, the Predators instantly improved their top six forward by luring Jonathan Marchessault away from the Golden Knights. Add in Steven Stamkos and Nashville is being dubbed as one of the winners of the offseason.

https://twitter.com/BarDown/status/1809797016500777111

A handful of team’s significantly improved their offenses on the first of the month. Some are from the Western Conference, Edmonton and Nashville most notably. The Stanley Cup runner-up added two top six pieces in the offseason which could push Edmonton deep in the playoffs again. Last season Zach Hyman, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid combined for 127 goals last season. That wasn’t good enough for the Oilers, so they even more added weapons.

As of today, the Pacific division Edmonton Oilers will have an opening night lineup with five forwards who scored 20+ goals in 2023-24, and seven total players with 18+ goals. In comparison, the Golden Knights will have two. If Viktor Arvidsson returns to form after an injured season, Edmonton will likely have six 20+ goal scoring forwards. If we’re being truly honest, the Oilers moves are noteworthy, but their final destiny still relies on Draisaitl and McDavid.

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1618049486709719041

Now let’s move on to Nashville. Last season the Predators had three forwards to reach 20+ goals. With the additions of Marchessault and Stamkos, Nashville will field five in 2024-25. Astonishingly, the Predators casually added 82 goals to their Top 6. That’s scary. Again, to compare with the Golden Knights, it’s night and day. Vegas subtracted 85 goals from the previous season and will try and make it with three forwards that combined for 23 goals last season. One of them only played 3 NHL games and went pointless in 2023-24. If it were to come down to offense in the postseason, the Predators would have a sizable advantage.

https://twittee.com/miketgould/status/1811239178442858825?s=43&t=r0w8Y_Kvlc-GpxszwwgyWQ

Surely, other teams in the conference built up their top two line as well over free agency and the NHL Draft. Several Pacific Division teams can argue their 2024-25 lineup looks a lot more dangerous than last year. Seattle adding Chandler Stephenson makes the Kraken’s top lines more formidable. Heck even San Jose got a little better via the draft. The Golden Knights are still deep enough to defeat most teams in the Pacific Division, but they’ll likely do it with strong defense. Winning 2-1 is still worth two points in the standings. We shouldn’t count out a late summer splash for more offense. Cross your fingers fans, there’s still plenty of time for Vegas to improve their Top 6.

Sportsnet Weighs In On Future Of Chandler Stephenson And Jonathan Marchessault

By Jason Pothier

On May 17, 2024

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

We’ve been very open with our feelings about getting a deal done with unrestricted free agent Jonathan Marchessault. Sure, we know the organization would prefer to keep the 2023 Conn Smythe winner but as Vegas fans have heard over and over again, ‘hockey is a business.’ Understanding that, it’ll be a challenge getting deals done for Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson and the rest of VGK’s unrestricted free agent.

[Vegas] will be hard-pressed to re-up Marchessault, centre Chandler Stephenson and rental Anthony Mantha now that [they’ve] locked up Noah Hanifin. No one would blame the late-blooming Marchessault ($29 million in career earnings) for pulling an Alex Killorn and taking the best offer available. –Luke Fox on Sportsnet.ca

In the eyes of Vegas fans, they would like to see #81 cash in but in Las Vegas and as a Golden Knight. Sure, the fans desire isn’t necessarily VGK’s front office priorities, but they are aware of the negative attention they’ll receive if they let Marchessault walk. It will infuriate a fanbase that’s been giving almost everything they could want in seven seasons. However, a year-old Stanley Cup trophy won’t satisfy the void of the franchise’s most beloved and decorated player.

The Conn Smythe–winning Marchessault is an original Misfit integral to the defending champions’ off-ice culture and on-ice success. No doubt, in a cap-free world, the sides would be content to extend their relationship beyond this season. Yet one only need to look as far as Reilly Smith, GM Kelly McCrimmon’s 2023 cap casualty, to see the line between sentiment and business. –Fox on Sportsnet.ca

To a lesser extent, Stephenson is another Golden Knight that fans would like to see return next season. However, with only a certain amount of capital, both UFA’s are tied to one another.

The demand for both centres and proven post-season performers remains sky high in the NHL. The Detroit Red Wings splashed $25.5 million at centre J.T. Compher in 2023’s free agency, and his previous best was 52 points. Bottom line: There will be a robust market for the two-way Stephenson if he remains unsigned by July. –Fox on Sportsnet.ca

McPhee Not Expecting To Be Active In Free Agency

By Ken Boehlke

On June 8, 2019

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

There are plenty of unanswered questions remaining for the Golden Knights, but after a recent comment by George McPhee we have the answer to at least one.

Well we’re in pretty good shape with our core group. We have basically everyone signed up and we are close on some other things. So I don’t imagine we’re going to be out looking at free agents this summer. We like the team the way it is and we like the young guys that we have coming along. –George McPhee to TSN

Not that most expected the Golden Knights to be major players in free agency, but this confirms the plan is to keep things in place and roll with what Vegas already has moving forward.

Of course, the main missing piece at the moment is the contract of William Karlsson. That’s probably who McPhee was talking about when he said “close on some things,” but he could have also been referencing Nikita Gusev, Jimmy Schuldt, Tomas Nosek, or Deryk Engelland.

As for the core group, the Golden Knights have 10 players locked up through 2021-22. Following the 2019-20 season, there are five players scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency. They are Cody Eakin, Ryan Reaves, Erik Haula, Jon Merrill, and Nick Holden. Slightly more significant than this year, slightly less than the year before.

No matter what happens with those five though, the Golden Knights are set up about as nicely as a team can be to make a run at the Stanley Cup each of the next three years.