While expansion and the beginning of free agency were the early headlines in what will be a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months to come. Here is a closer look at what still lies ahead for the Vegas Golden Knights.
It has already been a very busy offseason for Vegas who have swung 17 trades already as well as building their team via the expansion draft. Despite that, GM George McPhee still has some work to do before the puck drops on their inaugural season. Here are some remaining keys to their offseason.
Finish Shaping The Defense
While McPhee has trimmed down the number of blueliners since the draft down to 10 (they drafted 13), that’s still too many to work with given that the maximum roster size is 23. At least one if not two still need to be moved out before the season gets underway.
The player that many expected to be moved is Luca Sbisa. He was a bit of a surprise pick from Vancouver given that he carries a cap hit of $3.6MM for one more year and doesn’t appear to be in their long-term plans. On the surface, it would appear that he was picked with the idea of flipping him but the post-expansion trade market for blueliners hasn’t exactly been robust as teams appear to be waiting McPhee out.
It’s only mid-July so there’s still plenty of time but it will be interesting to see if other teams are able to outwait McPhee and pick up someone at a bargain or if the market will pick up as more free agents come off the open market.
Build Minor League Depth
Although the Golden Knights will employ a shared minor league affiliate (with St. Louis), they’re still the primary feeder for AHL Chicago. As things stand, they have around 15 players that are likely earmarked for the Wolves. Even with the Blues sending some players there, that’s still not enough, especially when you consider the expectation of injuries not to mention the anticipated trades in-season for the nine pending unrestricted free agents that they currently have.
Though many of the top two-way free agents off the market now, there are still enough of them out there for McPhee to add a few more to the fold. Alternatively, they could pick those players up via trades for some of the blueliners they’re likely going to be trading over the next couple of months. It’s not a pressing need but they would be wise to set themselves up with more depth before the season gets underway.
Rent Their Space
As a result of dealing away players like Marc Methot and Alexei Emelin after the Expansion Draft plus the acquisition of LTIR-eligible David Clarkson and Mikhail Grabovski, Vegas will have plenty of wiggle room when it comes to the salary cap – about $8.6MM per CapFriendly as things currently stand. The big names are pretty much gone in free agency but there are certainly teams that are still looking to free up cap space and the Golden Knights could conceivably swing another move or two to add some assets that way. It wouldn’t be to the extreme of getting a top prospect or a first rounder but given that they’re not expected to contend right away, it would still be worth doing.
The other space they have is contract room. Teams are permitted a maximum of 50 contracts and as a result of not having a full complement of minor league players, the Golden Knights sit well under the limit at 37 (although that will jump to 40 when their RFAs sign). No team is at the maximum already but quite a few project to be within two or three of that limit when the season gets underway. Some of those teams will want the flexibility to make in-season additions (or even sign college UFAs late in the year) which would give Vegas a chance to build some depth and add perhaps a pick or two if they use their contract slots that way. They’re still at a spot where they will want to add as many assets as possible and this is another method that they can do so.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.