The Vegas Golden Knights assuredly have more deals worked out than we know so far, but Bob McKenzie of TSN gave us a long breakdown of the ones that are expected to happen. With some added details from others like Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch and Arthur Staple of Newsday, here are the deals that the hockey world is pretty sure have been agreed upon. To be clear, none of these trades are final until they are announced at tonight’s NHL Awards ceremony:
Minnesota Wild
Vegas signs Erik Haula to multi-year contract, forfeiting expansion selection. Sends conditional draft pick.
Minnesota sends Alex Tuch.
Anaheim Ducks
Vegas selects Clayton Stoner.
Anaheim sends Shea Theodore.
Chicago Blackhawks
Vegas selects Trevor van Riemsdyk.
Chicago sends Marcus Kruger.
This deal in particular should be subject to skepticism, as today’s news surrounding Marian Hossa complicates things. Scott Powers of The Athletic has been told that Kruger will remain with the Blackhawks through tonight, though it’s unclear what that would mean for van Riemsdyk who is still eligible to be drafted.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Vegas will not select Josh Anderson, Joonas Korpisalo or Jack Johnson.
Columbus sends 2017 first-round pick, a prospect, and David Clarkson.
New York Islanders
Vegas will not select certain players left exposed (unclear who exactly has been included).
New York sends 2017 first-round pick, and Mikhail Grabovski.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Vegas selects Marc-Andre Fleury.
Pittsburgh sends unknown draft pick.
There are also deals in place with other teams including Florida and Tampa Bay, but reports have been inconsistent on the details thus far. McKenzie’s thread gives some insight into what they could be, but at this point it is still speculation. Again, each of these should be considered still only expected as details are fuzzy on each of them. We’ll update this page with any other deals that are leaked in the next few hours.
I think I missed something. Why again is Pittsburgh sending a draft pick AND losing Fleury?
Because of his high salary?
Cause there isnt a guarantee they would take Fleury. They are worried Vegas might take Rust or Cole instead. Just to make sure they do. They threw in a pick
Have to clear MAF’s 5.75 cap hit. Pick ensures they pick him. Otherwise Vegas could take Rust and then Pens would be stuck trying to trade MAF when only Winnipeg really needs a starter. The Flyers could use an upgrade but the Pens will never trade with them. The only other option would be to buy out MAF but that would still leave cap penalties. All in all, sending the pick is just cost of doing business–I hope it isn’t a 1st, but it if is, at least it’s #31.
They don’t want to pay 6 million for their backup goalie
Thanks for that. Makes sense for me now.
Vegas has tons of goalie options. MAF is a decent option but he’s expensive. I suspect that Vegas either decided to go with Rust instead or they bluffed the Pens into believing they might. As a result Pittsburg was willing to toss in a draft pick in order to secure the cap relief that losing MAF provides. It’s a pretty reasonable situation. Vegas has all the leverage and Pittsburg had a strong opinion on who they wanted to lose.
Fleury is the best option to win games right away. There’s no guarantee Grubauer or Raanta can handle full time starter duty
Maybe. Maybe not. Personally I’d strongly consider Mrázek if they are trying to build a young core. The fact that Pittsburg agreed to toss in a pick says that they certainly believed that Vegas was going with Rust or Cole instead. To be honest, I will be shocked if MAF isn’t flipped to another team like the Flyers. Maybe that’s what the pick is for too. It’s entirely possible that Vegas agreed to not flip him to a division rival if they got a pick.
Mrazek hasn’t progressed though in recent years, but I agree Vegas could do what Tampa did to get Pittsburgh Streit and be the middle-man. Would be tough to watch though, since Philly has invested so much into it’s goaltender pipeline.
Please add the H. It’s Pittsburgh. Pittsburg is in Mississippi.
I say he goes to Carolina. His goalie coach just signed with them
Fleury for 5.75m for 2 more years is dirt relative to his talent. Imagine Vegas taking a guy like Lehtinen for a return of assets? That’d be heavier cap and locker room shackle.
The Minnesota deal has been updated. The Golden Knights will be the one sending the conditional pick, according to Russo.