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Snapshots: Lightning, Robertson, Blackhawks, Ehlers, Nurse

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The Tampa Bay Lightning is traveling to Toronto, but will be doing so without their star defenseman. Victor Hedman will not be traveling with the team, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith, due to personal reasons at his own request. However, he is expected to meet up with the team on Friday and is expected to participate in all three round-robin games. The blueliner did practice Saturday and is expected to work with strength coach Mark Lambert. He is expected to be tested regularly while in Tampa Bay.

The team did release its roster as NHL.com’s Bryan Burns reports that the team will only bring 28 players with them to Toronto. Including the team’s normal 25-man roster, the team is only adding forwards Mathieu Joseph, Alexander Volkov and goaltender Scott Wedgewood.

Also, head coach Jon Cooper said that Steven Stamkos remains day-to-day and is not expected to participate in the exhibition game, according to Smith. The veteran is hoping to be more involved in practice once the team gets to Toronto. “It’s still in the window of time to get him back,” said Cooper.

  • TSN’s Mark Masters writes that if 19-year-old Nick Robertson hopes to get into the Toronto Maple Leafs playoff lineup, he must show that he can be comfortable on the ice in their upcoming exhibition game. The team’s 2019 second-round pick had an impressive junior campaign and has impressed the team enough to keep him on the playoff roster for the upcoming 24-team tournament. What might be more surprising is that the youngster continues to get third-line looks during practice. “He needs to look comfortable,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “He needs to make an impact on the game, be it through his work ethic and enthusiasm or his ability to create some offence and capitalize when he gets chances. All those kinds of things … We’re just really looking to see if he can be comfortable and be himself and then see how it all sorts itself out in terms our other players.”
  • Brandon Cain of NHL.com reports that the Chicago Blackhawks will take four goaltenders with them to Edmonton for the upcoming 24-team tournament. That is necessary due to the status of veteran Corey Crawford, who recently admitted he tested positive for COVID-19 and missed the first 12 days of training camp. While he has been cleared and participated in a full practice Saturday, that doesn’t mean he’s in game shape for the tournament. The team also will bring Malcolm Subban, Collin Delia and Kevin Lankinen.
  • NHL.com’s Mitchell Clinton reports that Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who was forced to leave Thursday’s scrimmage due to an undisclosed injury, was back at practice Saturday before the team leaves for Edmonton. He is expected to take on a second-line role with the team after scoring 25 goals in 71 games this year.
  • Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that Edmonton Oilers fans don’t need to worry about the fact that defenseman Darnell Nurse was forced to sit out Saturday’s team scrimmage with an undisclosed injury. The scribe described the injury as something he “tweaked” during practice earlier in the week. He’s expected to be ready to go.

Poll: Who Will Be The Chicago Blackhawks’ Starting Goalie In 2020-21?

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One of the most surprising moves of the trade deadline was the Chicago Blackhawks dealing goaltender Robin Lehner to the Vegas Golden Knights. While the 28-year-old Lehner signing a one-year deal in Chicago this summer was strange in the first place, it was beginning to look like it was merely the first step in a long-term relationship between the two sides. Lehner, although splitting time evenly with Corey Crawford, was enjoying a good season and looked like he could be the team’s starter moving forward with the 35-year-old Crawford also on an expiring contract. Instead, he was traded away for backup Malcolm Subban, a prospect, and a second-round pick. His recent comments about his time in Chicago make it all but certain that Lehner will not be playing for the Blackhawks again.

Chicago’s situation in net is now more unclear than any other team in the NHL. Yet, even without any potential long-term solution in place, GM Stan Bowman told the Chicago Sun Times’ Ben Pope that the team will definitely have a “proven NHL goalie signed for next year.” The question is who?

Bowman specifically named Crawford, Subban, Collin Delia, and Kevin Lankinen as internal options for next season. However, any of those names would come as a disappointment to ‘Hawks fans as next season’s starter. The veteran Crawford is in the final season of a six-year, $36MM contract, over the course of which he has gone from elite to replacement-level and has missed significant time to boot. Crawford can no longer be relied upon as an NHL starter, at least not for a playoff team, and giving him an extension would not be well received by many of the team’s supporters. With that said, he would still be the best option if the team stays internal. None of Subban, Delia, or Lankinen could possibly fit Bowman’s description of “proven”; Subban and Delia have a combined 83 NHL appearances and Lankinen has yet to make his on-ice debut in the league. Subban struggled in his role as primary backup to Marc-Andre Fleury in Vegas, forcing the aging netminder to take on a heavy workload, while Delia also had a difficult time in the role for a brief time last season. Neither appears to be NHL starter material at the very least and Lankinen is completely unproven. So are any of the current Blackhawks keepers really candidates to be Bowman’s starter?

If the Blackhawks want to return to relevance in the NHL, they must bring in an outside candidate to take the starter’s job next season. However, the open market also doesn’t offer any obvious fits. With Lehner presumably off the table, the top candidates who could be available in free agency are Braden Holtby, Jacob Markstrom, Anton Khudobin, Jaroslav Halak, Thomas Greiss, and Mike Smith.

Holtby is undoubtedly the top available name and the best fit as a true workhorse starter for the Blackhawks, but with nearly $72MM committed to just 15 players for next season, Chicago would have to work some magic on the cap to make space to sign Holtby. Even with room to sign him, they would also need to take into account that Holtby is also on the wrong side of 30 and has struggled this season with the Washington Capitals.

Next in line would be Markstrom, who from an ability, age, and cost perspective makes a lot of sense for Chicago. The problem is that he also makes a lot of sense to the Vancouver Canucks, who are expected to re-sign him. If Markstrom is out there, expect the Blackhawks to be one of a number of interested suitors, but potentially the leader of the pack.

Based on recent results, the trio of Khudobin, Halak, and Greiss would be the next level down. All three veterans have been stellar over the past two years albeit playing in backup roles. Any of them could improve the Blackhawks’ results when in net, but the problem is that they would likely leave upwards of 35-40 games for the likes of Delia, Subban, or Lankinen (assuming the latter two RFA’s are qualified) to handle. This does not exactly sound like a fix for Chicago, but it could be better than nothing. All three would be relatively inexpensive additions who have a track record of getting the job done, given adequate rest. Khudobin has been the best of the three this season, while Halak is the most experienced and Greiss’ role with the New York Islanders in recent years has most closely resembled a starter.

Smith is another strong candidate, assuming he is available. Like Markstrom, there is a good chance that Smith could re-sign with his current team, the Edmonton Oilers. There is also the possibility that the 38-year-old could retire. If not though, Smith checks a number of boxes. While serving as more of a split-time goalie this season, Smith has been a starter for much of his career, dating back to the late 2000’s. His numbers are not fantastic – in fact, Crawford has been better this season – nor is he a long-term plan, but Smith would provide a change in net and stable if unspectacular play. His price should not be high and his market should not be overwhelming. If the Blackhawks are simply looking for a fresh face and a stopgap while they wait for superior options, Smith could be the guy.

Of course, the team could also go the trade route this summer. The New York Rangers could be selling either superstar Henrik Lundqvist or young Alexandar Georgiev, either of whom would provide and upgrade in the Chicago net. Struggling starters Martin Jones of San Jose and Pekka Rinne of Nashville could become available, as could former starters who have been replaced such as Arizona’s Antti Raanta or Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray. The signings of Holtby, Lehner, and others could also displace other names. It’s hard to predict the off-season trade market at this point, but given the lack of obvious options in free agency, it is safe to assume that Bowman will kick some tires. But will cap constraints and lacking trade capital limit their ability in this market as well?

What do you think? Who will be the Blackhawks’ starting goalie in 2020-21?

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Pacific Notes: Hughes, Fleury, Subban, Russell

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Vancouver Canucks fans are hoping that defenseman Quinn Hughes will be back sooner than later after the Calder Trophy candidate went down in the first period of Friday’s game against the Ducks. Having played nearly half of the first 15 minutes of play, the rookie blueliner was rushing to get back into his zone when he appeared to pivot and stub his toe that had him fall forward to his knees and needed to helped off the ice.

Sportsnet’s Ian McIntyre writes that the injury is likely to be a short-term injury and the defenseman will be re-examined Saturday in San Jose before their game against the Sharks with a remote possibility of playing. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Hughes will not play Saturday.

Hughes has been a key member to the Canucks’ defense despite his youth as he has immediately become a top-four player and already averages more than 20 minutes per game. His ability to quarterback the power play has been critical to the Canucks’ recent 8-1-1 streak. Hopefully, he’ll be back sooner than later.

  • With Garret Sparks recalled under emergency conditions and the return of Malcolm Subban to the ice, many were wondering what was going on with the Vegas Golden Knights’ goaltending situation. However, The Athletic’s Jesse Granger answered that question by reporting that starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has the flu and will sit out today. Head coach Gerard Gallant stated that it wasn’t anything that will keep the veteran goaltender out for very long. Without Fleury, Granger also reported that Subban, who has been out since Oct. 10 when he played just one period, will get the start tonight against the Jets. Subban, coincidentally, has never allowed a goal to Winnipeg in his career.
  • In a mailbag piece, The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman (subscription required) writes that while it would be advantageous for the Edmonton Oilers to trade off some of their defensive depth for some forward help, however the team few players that have much value. The most likley candidate to trade would be Kris Russell, who has just one more year on his contract. However, the scribe adds that Russell might be hard to move due to his $4MM contract right now as well as the fact that he has a 20-team no-trade clause in his contract. Both those issues would make it difficult to move him, especially since it might be a stretch to consider him as a No. 4 defenseman.

Vegas Golden Knights Recall Garret Sparks On Emergency Basis

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Is it time to panic in Las Vegas? Fans of the Golden Knights will surely not be thrilled to hear the news that Garret Sparks has been recalled on an emergency basis from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, especially in light of the fact that backup Malcolm Subban was a full participant in practice today. That just leaves one odd man out.

As The Athletic’s Jesse Granger summarizes, Sparks’ recall comes on the heels of a practice in which Subban looked fully healthy, while starter Marc-Andre Fleury was suspiciously absent for what head coach Gerard Gallant called a “maintenance day”.  If it was truly just a day off for the veteran keeper, the team would not have made this roster move, so it is safe to assume that Fleury is injured. The extent of that injury remains to be seen, but the Knights will almost certainly be without him for at least Saturday’ game against the Winnipeg Jets.

Although Vegas famously survived numerous injuries in goal in their inaugural season, the play behind Fleury has been a different story since the beginning of last season. The 34-year-old Fleury started 61 games last year, a workload brought on by the poor performance of Subban. The young backstop recorded a .902 save percentage and 2.93 GAA in 21 appearances. In his lone appearance so far this year, Subban allowed two goals on just 14 shots. While Subban was sidelined due to injury, Oscar Dansk made one start, allowing six goals on 37 shots, and Sparks, an off-season addition, made one relief appearance and mirrored Subban’s results with two goals allowed on 14 shots. The trio have allowed a combined ten goals on 65 shots over 107 minutes for an .846 save percentage and 5.61 GAA. Even in just one appearance apiece, these are still terrifying numbers for the Golden Knights, especially if Fleury is out for an extended period of time. Subban and Sparks leave a lot to be desired as the tandem leading Vegas against the Jets tomorrow and possibly beyond.

Injury Updates: Golden Knights, Sekera, Red Wings, Hyman

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The Golden Knights received some good news and bad news on the injury front on Monday.  David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes (Twitter link) that winger Alex Tuch, defenseman Nate Schmidt, and goalie Malcolm Subban were all full participants in practice today.  Tuch has missed all of the season with an upper-body injury, Schmidt has missed 12 straight games with a lower-body issue, and Subban has been out since October 10th due to a lower-body injury.  While this doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll all be ready to play in their next game on Thursday, it’s certainly a good sign that their returns are approaching.

However, as they near a return, defenseman Deryk Engelland is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, Schoen mentions in a separate tweet.  Including Engelland, the Golden Knights are only carrying five healthy defensemen on the roster at the moment (with Schmidt on IR) so it’s likely that they will have to summon someone from AHL Chicago later this week.

Other injury notes from around the league:

  • The Stars will be without defenseman Andrej Sekera for their game tomorrow against Minnesota, reports Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (Twitter link). He has not been ruled out for the weekend so his undisclosed injury appears to be a minor one.  With seven defensemen on the roster, Dallas doesn’t necessarily have to make a recall although they could dip into Martin Hanzal’s LTIR opening if they wanted to have an extra blueliner available.
  • Red Wings winger Adam Erne is close to returning from his upper-body injury and could suit up on Tuesday night, notes Dana Wakiji on Detroit’s team website. He has missed four straight games and five of the last six with the issue.  Meanwhile, winger Justin Abdelkader participated in practice after missing two straight with a lower-body issue but head coach Jeff Blashill indicated that he might not be ready to return for that game.
  • While the Maple Leafs will activate defenseman Travis Dermott off LTIR for Tuesday’s game against Washington, winger Zach Hyman hasn’t been cleared to return and could still be a week or two away from playing, suggests TSN’s Kristen Shilton (Twitter link). Toronto will have to clear up some cap room to activate Dermott and will have to free up even more space to bring his $2.25MM AAV back onto the books.

Pacific Notes: Dillon, Schmidt, Subban, Gudbranson

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Many in Toronto, after watching a San Jose Sharks’ hit against Auston Matthews Friday night, felt that the Sharks’ Brenden Dillon deserved to have the hit looked at by the Department of Player Safety. However, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that Dillon won’t face any supplemental discipline for the hit as the belief is that the head was not the main point of contact.

Dillon hit Matthews at 11:30 in the second period of Friday’s game just as Matthews was entering the Sharks’ offensive zone as Dillon’s hands appeared to go high on the Maple Leafs’ forward. There was no penalty on the play. Matthews left the game and underwent concussion protocol. However, he did return in the third period.

  • After a embarrassing performance against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday, the Vegas Golden Knights got a hint at the potential return of one of their top players as Vegas’ head coach Gerard Gallant said that defenseman Nate Schmidt could be close to a return. “I’d love to have him in my lineup, trust me, and he’s going to be there soon,” said Gallant, via Ken Boehlke of Sinbin.vegas. Schmidt suffered a lower-body injury on the first game of the season and has been out ever since. However, he has resumed skating. Considered to be the team’s top defenseman, the team is eager to get him back into their lineup.
  • David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes that the Vegas Golden Knights could be getting back goaltender Malcolm Subban soon. The backup goaltender suffered a lower-body injury and has missed eight straight games. However, the scribe reports that his equipment was seen in front of his locker, which would suggest he’s ready to skate and could return to the lineup soon. Garrett Sparks is currently the backup for Vegas.
  • After attempting to add both Kevin Shattenkirk and Justin Faulk earlier this year, the Anaheim Ducks finally were able to trade for a veteran defenseman Friday when they acquired blueliner Erik Gudbranson. In fact, the Ducks had been interested in acquiring him for quite a while, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required). “This is something we have been looking at for some time. We haven’t been tough enough to play against and hopefully Erik can help us address part of that need,” general manager Bob Murray said.

Pacific Notes: Hjalmarsson, Subban, Middleton

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The Arizona Coyotes could be without one of their defensemen for a while as The Athletic’s Craig Morgan noted last night that Niklas Hjalmarsson left Pepsi Center last night on crutches. The 32-year-old blocked a shot last night from Erik Johnson against Colorado Saturday and was forced to leave the game. He only played 4:32.

Morgan reported that Hjalmarsson did not join the team on their flight to Winnipeg last night and while there is no word on the severity of the injury, he is expected to miss some time.

“At this point I’m not sure, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be day to day,” said head coach Rick Tocchet after the game Saturday. “That’s a big loss for us. Nik is a good defenseman.”

The team is expected to recall a defenseman to serve as the team’s seventh defenseman while Hjalmarsson is out. The scribe followed that report up that Kyle Capobianco, who was assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners Saturday, will be returning to the team.

  • Sinbin’s Steve Carp suggests that the Vegas Golden Knights could be in trouble in goal in the near future with the constant injury problems that backup Malcolm Subban has dealt with over his career in Vegas. Subban left after the first period Thursday against Arizona with a lower-body injury. The team brought Oscar Dansk up as an emergency recall, but the problem is 34-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury has received no rest so far this year, which could continue with the team likely hesitant to give Dansk a start. The team also has Garret Sparks in the AHL, who they can recall, but have not done so yet. However, with Subban unable to remain healthy, the team may have some issues to come down the road if they can’t get a solid goaltender to take a significant amount of playing time from an overworked Fleury.
  • San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer gave an update for defenseman Jacob Middleton, who has been out with an undisclosed injury, and is just one of a number of defensive injuries that has depleted the Sharks’ depth there so far this year. The blueliner is expected to miss between four to six weeks, according to Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka. The scribe writes that the team is more likely to get back veteran Dalton Prout sooner as he has already started skating again.

Minor Transactions: 10/12/19

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It was a relatively quiet night in the NHL on Friday, with just three games on the schedule. However, the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres made the most of spotlight by extending their season-opening point streaks. The ‘Canes are back in action again tonight, looking to stay perfect alongside a number of other unbeaten teams. At least one member of the elite group will fall, as the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers go head-to-head. It’s a busy night of action that could be preceded by a busy day of roster transactions. Keep up with all of the moves here:

  • Golden Knights authority SinBin Vegas reports that it will be Oscar Dansk getting the call from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves to replace the injured Malcolm Subban as the backup to Marc-Andre Fleury. It’s a somewhat surprising decision for a couple of reasons. First, Vegas acquired Garret Sparks from the Toronto Maple Leafs this off-season with what many considered was the intention of making him a quality third-string option who could put pressure on the often unreliable Subban. In their first opportunity to recall Sparks, they passed. Second, in Dansk’s first appearance of the AHL season, he surrendered seven goals on just 25 shots – a .720 save percentage. Dansk looked out of sorts and surely not ready for an NHL promotion. It could be that the Knights are making a short-term move ahead of tonight’s game by recalling a fresh Dansk in case of emergency instead of Sparks, who got the start last night for the Wolves. However, if Dansk remains as the backup moving forward while Subban is sidelined, the team will have to hope he can replicate his stellar performance from a brief call-up in 2017-18 rather than his showing in his AHL season debut.
  • Casey Bailey is back in North America, inking a one-year deal with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. It’s been a somewhat precipitous decline for Bailey, who once seemed like a surefire NHLer. A standout at Penn State University, Bailey left school early in 2015 to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He even played in six games and recorded his first (and only to date) NHL point in that same season. In his first full pro campaign, Bailey put up good numbers in the AHL in a season split between the Toronto Marlies and Binghamton Senators after he joined Dion Phaneuf in the package sent from Toronto to Ottawa that year. The following season, Bailey again performed well in the AHL and skated in seven games with Ottawa, but it wasn’t enough to earn an extension or draw NHL interest as a free agent. After one more season in the minors, again with strong numbers, Bailey opted to head overseas last year, joining HC Slovan Bratislava of the KHL. However, he failed to find his footing and recorded just five points in 45 games. With Bratislava leaving the KHL, on top of a tough first season with the team, Bailey had more than enough reason to return to North America. The question now is whether he can turn this opportunity with the Stingrays into something more, perhaps working his way back into relevance at the pro level.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes announced they have activated defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk from non-roster injured reserve. The 28-year-old missed training camp and the first few games of the season as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery. Van Riemsdyk has been practicing with the team for a while already, so he may not require a conditioning stint. He has been a key piece to the Hurricanes’ defense as he has appeared in all but seven games in the past two years. With Carolina, however, loaded in defensive depth, the team hasn’t missed him too much, but could be eventually forced to make another roster move.

Injury Updates: Raanta, Compher, Subban, Guhle

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The Coyotes will have goaltender Antti Raanta back on Saturday as he’s slated to make his first start in more than ten months, notes Craig Morgan of The Athletic (via Twitter).  Raanta suffered a lower-body injury in his first preseason game and missed enough time that the team felt that a conditioning stint to start the season would be beneficial.  Now that he’s healthy, Arizona will be carrying three goalies with the recently-extended Darcy Kuemper as well as recent waiver claim Eric Comrie on the roster.  Keeping three goalies is rarely a viable strategy long-term so it will be interesting to see how long they opt to hold onto Comrie as an insurance policy given Raanta’s lengthy injury history.

Other injury news from around the league:

  • J.T. Compher’s time out of the Avalanche lineup appears to be short-lived. Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the center is expected to return on Saturday after missing last night’s game due to a lower-body injury.  The 24-year-old has a goal in two games so far this season.  Colorado didn’t place him on IR so they won’t need to make a corresponding roster move for him to suit up.
  • Although Golden Knights goaltender Malcolm Subban was forced to leave Thursday’s game against Arizona after just one period due to a lower-body injury, head coach Gerard Gallant told reporters including Jesse Granger of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the netminder won’t miss much time. He’s officially listed as day-to-day.  Gallant indicated that Vegas will recall a goalie from AHL Chicago so it appears that Subban will miss at least a game or two.
  • Ducks defenseman Brendan Guhle is dealing with a lower-body injury, notes Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). He has been listed as day-to-day.  Guhle is averaging a career-best 19:07 per game in the early going this season, good for fourth on the team amongst defensemen which is notable considering he spent most of last season at the AHL level.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vegas Golden Knights

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Vegas Golden Knights

Current Cap Hit: $80,474,999 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Zach Whitecloud (one year, $925K)
F Cody Glass (three years, $863K)
D Nicolas Hague (three years, $791K)

Potential Bonuses:

Whitecloud: $850K
Glass: $850K
Hague: $133K

While there is no guarantee that any of these three will be on the roster when the season begins, all three are expected to see time with the Golden Knights this season and could find themselves with significant roles depending on how things shake out. Glass, the team’s biggest prospect, is finally turning pro and while the organization has said in the past that Glass needs a full year of AHL work, he may have proved himself after his junior season ended last year. The sixth-overall pick from the 2017 draft, tallied five points in six AHL regualar season games, but was also one of the team’s top players throughout the AHL playoffs as he helped lead the team to the Calder Cup Finals. He tallied seven goals and 15 points in 22 playoff games. That play suggests that he might be ready and will compete for an immediate chance on the team’s third line.

Hague and Whitecloud are expected to challenge for a spot on one of the open spots in Vegas’ defense. Both players had impressive seasons with the Chicago Wolves last season and might be ready to make an impact. The 20-year-old Hague scored 13 goals in his rookie campaign, while the defensive Whitecloud showed off some offensive potential in his first full season in the AHL.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Cody Eakin ($3.85MM, UFA)
F Ryan Reaves ($2.78MM, UFA)
D Nick Holden ($2.2MM, UFA)
D Jonathon Merrill ($1.38MM, UFA)
F Tomas Nosek ($1MM, UFA)
G Malcolm Subban ($850K, RFA)
G Garret Sparks ($750K, RFA)
F Curtis McKenzie ($750K, UFA)
F William Carrier ($725K, RFA)
D Deryk Engelland ($700K, UFA)
F Valentin Zykov ($675K, RFA)

With their cap room extremely tight, there remains a legitimate possibility that the team may still make a trade and if that does happen, the player is likely to come from this list of players. Eakin, Reaves and Holden are not likely to return in a year and could be trade bait. Eakin is coming off a career-best season with 22 goals and 41 points, but assuming the team is healthier this year, will likely settle into a third-line center role this year unless Glass beats him out. However, with Eakin’s value at its highest, the team might be able to get the best return if they move him and his $3.85MM contract.

Reaves has become a fan favorite in Vegas, giving the team highlight reel hits and become a popular locker room presence. He also posted 305 hits for the Golden Knights. However, Reaves makes quite a bit of money for a player who produced nine goals and 20 points last season. With some young fourth-line players closing in on potentially replacing him, the team could find a taker in Reaves and his $2.78MM deal.

The team has been impressed with the development with Merrill, who was initially only looked at as an emergency defenseman, but really took that next step last season and has earned himself a full-time role with the possibility of even earning top-four minutes next season. Holden would be another option for the team free up cap room as the team signed him last summer to a two-year deal, but the veteran struggled to get consistent playing time and is on the outside looking in. The team might hope it can send Holden to a defense-needy team, but may be forced to bury him in the AHL if he can’t prove he belongs on the Golden Knights roster and with Engelland likely taking a lesser role at the bottom of the defense next season, it might be hard to win a spot.

The Golden Knights also have an interesting battle in net for the backup goalie spot after acquiring Sparks during the offseason from Toronto. While Subban is the likely candidate to keep the position, Sparks could provide some much needed depth in goal for the future if the Golden Knights managed to hold onto him. Sparks was a top prospect goaltender just a season ago, but struggled in his first full season in Toronto. However, the Golden Knights hope he can bounce back quickly.

Two Years Remaining

F Paul Stastny ($6.5MM, UFA)
F Brandon Pirri ($775K, UFA)

The team has been set up to provide a number of short-term deals at higher cost and Stastny is one of those who signed a three-year deal at a high AAV. Injuries limited the veteran to just 50 games last season, but when he played, he provided excellent playmaking on the team’s second line, scoring 13 goals and 42 points. If the 33-year-old can stay healthy this season, he could center one of the strongest lines in the league as he is one of the best playmakers who historically makes his line mates even better.

Pirri is an interesting addition. The 28-year-old showed off his scoring touch after being called up midway through the season. In just 31 games, he tallied 12 goals and 18 points, including a string of goals. Most expected the UFA to find a team that could offer him more playing time this summer. Instead he opted to remain and may get that playing time after the team decided to move KHL star Nikita Gusev to New Jersey this summer. Gusev had been penciled into the third line which now could fall to Pirri, who the team hopes can continue his scoring ways.

Three Years Remaining

G Marc-Andre Fleury ($7MM, UFA)
F Reilly Smith ($5MM, UFA)
D Brayden McNabb ($2.5MM, UFA)

While Fleury has been a stud since arriving from Pittsburgh in the expansion draft, the veteran goaltender is now 34 years old and has three years remaining on his deal. The Golden Knights have to hope that Fleury can continue playing at a high level for that time as they do not have a suitable replacement in the system at all yet and could find themselves in trouble in a few years if they can’t find a suitable player to step in and help take the burden from the netminder. With little faith early in the season in Subban, Fleury played in 61 regular-season games last season, his highest total since 2014-15. Subban did improve somewhat and played better in the second half, but it’s likely that Fleury will take on another significant load this season as well.

While 53 points may not be the type of numbers the team was hoping for from Smith, the Golden Knights know that Smith has proven to be a valuable commodity who is a key on the team’s penalty kill and is an excellent playmaker, especially when playing with the top line. McNabb has also been a key player under a cap-friendly deal who is playing solid minutes in the top-four, while providing excellent defense along with 200 hits last year.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Mark Stone ($9.5MM through 2026-27)
F Max Pacioretty ($7MM through 2022-23)
D Nate Schmidt ($5.95MM through 2025-26)
F William Karlsson ($5.9MM through 2026-27)
D Shea Theodore ($5.2MM through 2025-26)
F Jon Marchessault ($5MM through 2023-24)
F Alex Tuch ($4.75MM through 2025-26)

It’s hard to believe, but after just two years, the team has its core in tact and locked up for a long time and should be Stanley Cup contenders for the next few years. Stone’s value has only increased in the last year as he completed the team’s quest to have two dominant lines. While the Golden Knights could alter their lines this season, Stone is expected to be a big piece and eventually the face of the franchise in Vegas after being acquired from Ottawa at the trade deadline and then signing a eight-year extension immediately after the trade and at $9.5MM, he may prove a bargain as the 28-year-old posted 33 goals and 73 points during the regular season, but really took off in the playoffs, putting up six goals and 12 points in seven playoff games.

While all the long-term deals look solid, if there is one to scrutinize even closer, it’s the four-year extension that Vegas signed Pacioretty to a year ago. That extension is kicking in this year, but the 30-year-old didn’t bounce back to his 30-goal ways that he had in Montreal in previous seasons. Pacioretty, who scored 30 goals five times in six straight years in Montreal, scored just 22 goals and 40 points in his first year in Vegas, but the team hopes they can get more out of him this year. He did show off more offense in the playoffs as well as he tallied five goals and 11 points in seven games.

The Golden Knights finally locked up Karlsson to a long-term deal, something both sides were hoping for and getting the forward to sign for under $6MM is impressive for the franchise. While the 24-year-old Karlsson saw his goal totals drop from 43 to 24 last season, a drop off was expected and the team believes that with two impressive lines, Karlsson should get more chances to score with less pressure from just top-line defenders.

Schmidt and Theodore should continue to develop and provide top-four defense for many years to come. Theodore in particular is only 24 years old and could break out and develop into a dominant defenseman in the next few years. Tuch took a solid step in his development, scoring 20 goals and 52 points in his second year and if the 23-year-old keeps improving, could be quite the bargain under $5MM in the future.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

F Tomas Tatar ($500K through 2020-21)

Salary Cap Recapture

None

Still To Sign

D Jimmy Schuldt (RFA)

The team might have to free up just a little extra to finally get Schuldt locked up for a number of years, but the top collegiate free-agent this offseason opted to sign with Vegas and could begin his career immediately. With attention from 29 of the 31 teams, many believe that Schuldt will get every opportunity to win a spot on the Golden Knights’ defense and could make his impact right away. After four years at St. Cloud State, he still will have to prove that he can beat out Whitecloud and Hague, but once the RFA signs, he could end up being a big piece to the team’s defensive outlook.

Best Value: Karlsson
Worst Value: Pacioretty

Looking Ahead

The Golden Knights general manager combo of George McPhee and Brad McCrimmon have done an amazing job of putting a team together quickly that is ready to compete immediately and have a chance to compete for many years. At the moment, the team has done a good job of locking up its core and while the team is right up against the cap, it does have a number of players making quite a bit of money while on short-term deals, which could allow the team to continue to upgrade to the team after those deals expire. Throw in a number of younger players who are getting closer and closer to being able to contribute, the team should be in solid shape for quite a while.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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