Pierre LeBrun of TSN spoke to J.P. Barry, agent to unrestricted free agents Karl Alzner and Jordan Weal who said his clients did speak with the Vegas Golden Knights but will wait to talk to other teams before making a decision. That takes them out of consideration to count as the Golden Knights’ expansion picks, but doesn’t rule out a deal eventually between the two sides. LeBrun is quick to point out that this doesn’t necessarily signal that Weal will not sign in Philadelphia before free agency opens next Saturday.
It has been clear since the end of the season that Alzner would not be back with the Washington Capitals next season, but with such appealing options available to them in the expansion draft the Golden Knights couldn’t afford to forfeit their selection. Nate Schmidt or Philipp Grubauer, the two most often expected to be the selection, are too valuable to Vegas to pass on just for the chance to sign Alzner early.
Weal on the other hand may be the most enticing option available after Philadelphia submitted their protection list. The 25-year old is a Group VI free agent this summer, and showed at the end of the year that there may be some NHL scoring ability in him after all. It’s not surprising that Vegas showed interest, as they likely will again if he can’t get a deal done with Philadelphia by the end of the month. The two sides had apparently agreed on term earlier this month, though still can’t decide on a salary that works.
The Golden Knights have signed Erik Haula from the Minnesota Wild, but that was more of a secondary part following a deal to protect extra players. It will be hard to see Vegas waste many opportunities just to sign a free agent that they may have a chance with anyway, especially with the intriguing free agents clustering in places like Washington and San Jose. Alexander Radulov remains an interesting option, though not a wisp of rumor has come out connecting the two sides prior to the deadline this morning.