If you’ve listened to a SinBin.vegas Periscope or Podcast over the last month or so you’ve probably heard me reference VGK’s need to improve their bottom-six.
To this point, the Golden Knights have iced seven variations of 3rd and 4th lines and to this point the success has been limited, despite playing mostly poor competition.
| Line | TOI | G | GA | Corsi For | Chance % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier-Nosek-Reaves | 71:10 | 1 | 2 | 46.7 | 46.9 |
| Roy-Glass-Tuch | 53:55 | 3 | 2 | 51.3 | 56.3 |
| Kolesar-Glass-Tuch | 38:40 | 0 | 1 | 45.2 | 50.0 |
| Carrier-Roy-Reaves | 33:02 | 0 | 2 | 42.1 | 40.6 |
| Kolesar-Roy-Tuch | 20:55 | 3 | 2 | 59.0 | 53.9 |
| Nosek-Roy-Tuch | 6:46 | 0 | 0 | 41.7 | 80.0 |
| Carrier-Kolesar-Reaves | 3:43 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
As you can see in the numbers, the 3rd line has had much more success than the 4th, but still not enough to feel like they can help carry Vegas to a Cup. Of the three different 4th line combos, the Golden Knights have allowed four goals while scoring just one. They’ve been out-shot and out-chanced significantly as well.
This is why rather than the Golden Knights attacking a high-priced superstar player at the deadline like they have in the past, I believe it would be in their best interest to add down the lineup and essentially rebuild the bottom-six.
We’re still a ways off from the deadline, which means more teams could find themselves as sellers come April 12th. However, I’ve started to compile a list of some of the players that may be good targets for Vegas to round out a roster that belongs in the Stanley Cup conversation.
Pavel Buchnevich
New York Rangers
Cap Hit: $3.25M (RFA at season’s end)
The Rangers are in a bit of a weird place. On one hand, they have declared they are rebuilding and even sent their fan base a letter stating such, while on the other they are going out and signing mega free agents like Artemi Panarin and extending guys like Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba. Buchnevich has been a major part of the team for quite a while and is under RFA control at season’s end, but one has to wonder if they’d be willing to part ways for the right price.
In Panarin’s absence, Buchnevich has found himself shuffled around the lineup, even at one point playing on the Rangers’ 3rd line. The price would be significant, probably upwards of a 1st round pick, but the idea of placing him on the 3rd line next to Tuch and Glass is exciting. This would begin the process of moving players like Roy and Kolesar down the VGK lineup, bolstering both the 3rd and 4th lines.
