Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Kelly McCrimmon

Looking At The Impending Vegas Cap Crunch

at CDT | by 26 Comments

To say the 2021-22 season was a gigantic disappointment for the Vegas Golden Knights would also be a massive understatement. After mortgaging a large part of their future to acquire superstar center Jack Eichel, albeit for the long term, the team missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and fired head coach Peter DeBoer earlier this week.

Now, general manager Kelly McCrimmon has an arduous offseason to retool the roster and find a new head coach. Both will need significant attention, however, the Knights are already entering free agency with the pressing need to shed cap space. With a roster size of 23, the team is already in a salary deficit of about $500,000, even with the small cap increase to $82.5MM next year (CapFriendly).

While some of those players may be sent to AHL Henderson when the team is fully healthy, the team needs to make a decision on RFAs Nicolas Roy, Brett Howden, Keegan Kolesar, and Nicolas Hague, who have all been extremely valuable to the team in their depth roles. It’s clear that unless the Knights somehow make a move to acquire significant long-term injury relief (Shea Weber?), the team needs to move on from a decent chunk of cash to be comfortable under the cap in 2022-23.

Obviously, the choice that jumps off the page is forward Evgenii Dadonov. Signed just through next season at $5MM, the veteran forward was already involved in a trade intended to dump his salary but was reversed due to his limited no-trade clause. He did hit the 20-goal mark again this year and could do so again if given good support. It’s a low-risk acquisition for teams looking for scoring depth, especially with his contract expiring at the end of the year. However, Vegas has absolutely no leverage in this situation given the failed trade in March. If that incident didn’t happen, the Knights could probably have made a decent deal involving Dadonov this offseason. They’ll likely still be able to make a trade, but it won’t involve much benefit for the team other than cap space.

Another potential option is William Karlsson. Given his offensive upside and defensive acumen, teams would probably like to have a top-six centerman under a $6MM cap hit. With the Eichel acquisition and solid play from the cheaper Chandler Stephenson, there is no longer a pressing need for Karlsson in the lineup. He had a very tough season putting pucks in the net, though, and his 40-goal 2017-18 campaign seems like decades ago for him now. He’s scored just 15, 14, and 12 goals in the past three years, and while he still puts up points, he’s signed through 2027. It would clear a tad more cap space than Dadonov, though, and the wing is more a position of need for the Knights. Yet, the relationship between Dadonov and the Knights must be considered. If the relationship is irreparably severed, the team might have no choice. That’s not to say they still couldn’t entertain the idea of moving Karlsson, however.

Lastly, there’s backup netminder Laurent Brossoit and his $2.3MM cap hit. He’s almost surely gone considering the incredibly strong play of youngster Logan Thompson down the stretch. It’s not much cap relief, though, and the team likely needs a little more wiggle room to adjust the roster as desired.

Prospect Notes: Chicago, Vegas, Karlsson

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Earlier today, Chicago Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson indicated a desire to acquire a first-round pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, reports NBCSN Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis (link). Davidson said that while it’s definitely something he is looking at and hopes to be able to do, whether or not he will be able to make it happen is a different question. The rebuilding Blackhawks had already traded their first-round pick in this year’s draft to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the trade that sent defenseman Seth Jones from Columbus to Chicago this past offseason. That pick was originally top-two protected by Chicago, meaning that if they won one of the two draft lotteries, they would have been able to keep the pick, however they did not and Columbus receives Chicago’s sixth-overall selection in 2022.

This will be Davidson’s first season as GM of the Blackhawks after being officially hired into the role on March 1st. With the team having been in rebuild mode for a few seasons now, and sending the message that they expect it to continue with the trade of Brandon Hagel at this year’s trade deadline, Davidson’s next moves will be critical to showing what the plan is for the organization and how much longer he anticipates the rebuild to last. He has already acquired two future first-round picks from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2023 and 2024 drafts in exchange for Hagel, which he could foreseeably use to acquire a pick in the 2022 draft.

  • Vancouver Canucks prospect Linus Karlsson was named the SHL’s Rookie of the Year for the 2021-22 season, tweets Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic (link). In 52 games for Skelleftea this season, Karlsson posted a strong 26 goals and 20 assists to go with a plus-10 rating. Originally a third-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2018, Karlsson was traded to Vancouver in the deal that sent Jonathan Dahlen to San Jose in 2019. Now 22, Karlsson is still yet to sign his first NHL contract, and has until June 1st to do so, otherwise he will become an UFA. Still, as recently as March, Karlsson had been hoping to sign with Vancouver (link).
  • The Vegas Golden Knights will host a prospect development camp this year, says GM Kelly McCrimmon (link). This will be the first true development camp the team has held since 2019. McCrimmon said that the camp will begin on the Monday following the NHL Entry Draft, which will be held on Thursday, July 7 and Friday, July 8th in Montreal. This year’s camp should give Vegas a good look at not only the players they drafted in the 2022 draft, but also some insight into who might be able to compete for a roster spot in training camp. With Vegas near the league’s salary cap ceiling, finding affordable young talent within their system will be a key to success in the 2022-23 season.

Vegas Golden Knights Checked In On Fleury, Georgiev

at CDT | by 20 Comments

2:55pm: McCrimmon has responded directly to Seravalli’s report, telling David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that there is “absolutely no credence” to it and that Fleury will not be returning.

1:30pm: The Vegas Golden Knights never shy away from bringing in a big-name player, even if it seems impossible due to cap implications. So why wouldn’t they be interested in the reigning Vezina Trophy winner? Well, that’s a complicated question, given their history with Marc-Andre Fleury, who was reportedly blindsided by a trade to the Chicago Blackhawks last offseason. Despite that history, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports that the Golden Knights have expressed interest in bringing Fleury back to Vegas.

The interest is because of an injury to Robin Lehner, which Seravalli reports is a torn labrum in his shoulder. Surgery is an eventual possibility and would suggest that the Golden Knights desperately need to address the goaltending situation in the coming weeks. Logan Thompson was recalled yesterday from the minor leagues when Lehner missed practice.

In addition to Fleury, the Golden Knights have apparently looked into Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers, whose role is dwindling because of the outstanding play from Igor Shesterkin. The 25-year-old Georgiev is in the second season of a two-year contract he signed in 2020 and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the year. In 19 appearances (17 starts), he has recorded an .898 save percentage, the lowest of his career.

How will a Vegas team that is about to activate Jack Eichel fit in another big cap hit? Seravalli suggests that Lehner could end up on long-term injured reserve, where he would join captain Mark Stone who went there yesterday. It should be noted that Lehner’s injury and timeline have not been confirmed by the team at this point, with general manager Kelly McCrimmon explaining yesterday that his status for Wednesday’s game wasn’t yet clear.

After a rough start, Fleury has turned around his game of late and now carries a .910 save percentage on the season. Last night, he stopped 31 of 32 shots to beat the Winnipeg Jets.

West Notes: Eichel, Davidson, Quick

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Golden Knights center Jack Eichel is progressing well in his recovery from artificial disk replacement surgery and has started skating.  Accordingly, the clock is starting to tick on how Vegas will be able to get cap compliant to activate him off LTIR.  Speaking with David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, GM Kelly McCrimmon wasn’t giving away any hints towards how he plans to get there:

We’ve been compliant every game we’ve ever played, and we’ll continue to be as we move forward. What exactly that looks like, how exactly we get there, those are all things that we work at internally, and we’ll keep it that way.

McCrimmon also cautioned that Eichel will be further away from returning than it may seem at first glance as resuming on-ice activities is one thing but being able to do while taking full contact is another one altogether.  Even so, it sure seems like the Golden Knights will get Eichel back well before the end of the season which means their cap crunch is starting to get closer.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Kyle Davidson has only been the interim GM of the Blackhawks for two months but Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times feels that the 33-year-old has shown enough to take the job on a full-time basis. Davidson has already made one significant change with the dismissal of Jeremy Colliton behind the bench plus a handful of smaller moves but he has had his hands in other parts of this team having been with Chicago since 2011.  Even with that longer-term connection, Pope believes that Davidson should be able to evaluate things without any pre-existing biases which would be critical if he retains the role but that the team would be wise to bring in a president of hockey operations to oversee things and provide some experience in the front office.
  • This was supposed to be the season where Cal Petersen took over as the starter for the Kings. However, as Andrew Knoll of the LA Daily News highlights, that hasn’t exactly happened with Jonathan Quick playing like he did a decade ago.  While that transition is still expected to happen at some point – Quick turns 36 next month and only has one year left on his contract after this one – Petersen will have to wait a little longer to become their undisputed starter.

Nolan Patrick Signs With Vegas Golden Knights

at CDT | by 6 Comments

Late last night, the Vegas Golden Knights finalized terms with newcomer Nolan Patrick on a two-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.2MM, paying Patrick $1MM in 2021-22 and $1.4MM in 2022-23. The young forward was a restricted free agent after being acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers.

Selected second overall in 2017, it has been anything but a smooth ride for the 23-year-old Patrick. Even before he was drafted he had dealt with serious injury, taking away a huge chunk of his final year with the Brandon Wheat Kings, and that injury-prone label has followed him to the NHL. It’s not fair, given the most serious ailment Patrick has dealt with is a migraine issue, but nevertheless, he has heard the chorus of “bust” for several years now.

After two seasons in which he recorded 13 goals and around 30 points, Patrick missed the entire 2019-20 campaign due to his migraine issue. It kept him from skating or participating in any team activity, meaning when he returned for 2020-21 there was obviously a gap in his development. This season was an absolute trainwreck, with the young forward registering just four goals and nine points in 52 games while seeing his average ice time drop significantly. That led to an offseason trade as the Flyers looked to shake up their group and go in a different direction.

Despite recent struggles, Patrick is by no means a write-off in Vegas. The 6’2″ 203-lbs forward still has all the physical tools to be an impact player in the NHL, even if his ceiling as a first-line center looks like an impossibility at this point. The Golden Knights will have to rebuild his confidence and his career, but they obviously have a strong belief in him given they gave up Cody Glass in a one-for-one deal.

The reason for that optimism? Kelly McCrimmon, the Golden Knights’ GM knows Patrick better than anyone, having drafted, developed, coached and managed him in the WHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings. That’s where Patrick turned into a star, including an outstanding 102-point campaign in 2015-16 that resulted in a WHL championship (and playoff MVP).

This two-year deal will still leave Patrick a restricted free agent in 2023, but does mean he will be arbitration-eligible. If he can get his career back on track, there will be more than $1.2MM waiting for him through that process, but more importantly, there should be a real opportunity in Vegas. The Golden Knights have long been searching for another center to complement William Karlsson in the top-six, something Patrick could still do if he can find any of the juice that made him a second-overall pick just a few years ago. Then again, perhaps the lost year has removed any chance of him fulfilling that early promise and he’ll have to settle into a depth role on the loaded Golden Knights roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon Tests Positive For COVID-19

at CDT | by 20 Comments

The good news: the NHL released another empty COVID Protocol Related Absences list today, indicating that no one from the Montreal Canadiens nor the opposing Vegas Golden Knights was infected in relation to Montreal head coach Dominique Ducharme testing positive. The bad news: another prominent non-player in the series has now tested positive.

TVA’s Renaud Lavoie was the first to report that Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon has tested positive for COVID-19. The team has stated that McCrimmon is self-isolating and will follow the NHL’s COVID Protocol and all other local health policies. McCrimmon traveled to Montreal for Game Three of the semifinal series and, if his positive test is confirmed, will be there for some time. Ducharme was placed in a mandated 14-day isolation following his positive test on Friday.

The timing of this positive test for McCrimmon looks especially bad given that he and President George McPhee were shown on Friday night’s television broadcast in a suite without masks, in violation of the league’s COVID Protocol. The NHL has reportedly already spoken to the team about this issue, but now that it has coincided with a positive test there has to at least be discussion about a fine, much like how the Washington Capitals were fined when their COVID Protocol violation led to two players being infected. Granted, this is fortunately not a case of a player catching the virus, but the optics are still poor, especially with the league and the Canadian government making exceptions to try to preserve the structure and integrity of the postseason.

The anxious waiting will now continue for another day or two to ensure that there still has been no spread to the locker rooms. In the meantime, Game Four will proceed as scheduled on Sunday night, as will travel back to Las Vegas.

Vegas Golden Knights Shopping Max Pacioretty

at CDT | by 21 Comments

Perhaps spurred by the recent progress in getting the 2020-21 season up and running, the Vegas Golden Knights are back at it, working the phones in an effort to make a move to get salary cap compliant. Vegas is one of a number of teams currently over the salary cap upper limit and must shed some salary before play begins. However, the player that GM Kelly McCrimmon is allegedly pushing to other teams may come as a surprise. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that veteran forward Max Pacioretty has been the subject of trade talks this off-season, with those discussions picking up steam in recent days.

Pacioretty, 32, may be one of the older players on the Vegas roster but is still an elite scorer. The long-time Montreal Canadien was in fact the Knights’ leading scorer this past season, recording 66 points in 71 games for a career-high scoring clip. He added another eight points in the playoffs. In the two seasons since coming over from the Habs, Pacioretty has shown no signs of slowing down. His loss would be felt in a major way in Vegas, both on the ice and in the locker room.

However, Pacioretty’s $7MM, while commensurate to his production, is a massive weight on the Golden Knight’s salary cap. If the team were to move Pacioretty without retaining any salary, they would not only be under the cap ceiling but would have the flexibility to make an addition if they so desire. Seravalli mentions top available free agent Mike Hoffman or a reunion with Erik Haula as possibilities. One would also think that Pacioretty would still bring in a considerable return as well; he cost Vegas Nick Suzuki, Tomas Tatar, and a second-round pick just two years ago. However, in a definitive buyer’s market, McCrimmon would have to be careful not to give away Pacioretty for too little just for the sake of cap savings. The team was already lambasted for trading top defenseman Nate Schmidt for pennies on the dollar in order to facilitate the signing of Alex Pietrangelo. 

One other concern for the Knights’ brass is the locker room culture. There have already been reports of many players being unhappy with the frequent trades that the team has made and the perceived lack of loyalty toward the roster. The team has dealt Schmidt, Haula, Colin Miller, Cody Eakin, Malcolm Subban, Brandon Pirri, and Paul Stastny all in the past 18 months, leaving the young franchise with very little roster consistency. There are certainly some in the room who have to be unhappy to even hear the whispers of a potential Pacioretty move. Others in the media have noted that he is not the only name on the block either, with fan favorite Marc-Andre Fleury likely being floated again as well. Vegas must tread carefully when it comes to making any further moves and a Pacioretty trade in particular can only be made with a considerable return and a plan to replace him with the cap savings.

Snapshots: First Overall, Fleury, Season Start

at CDT | by 14 Comments

The New York Rangers have received “plenty” of calls on the first-overall pick before tonight’s draft according to Frank Seravalli of TSN, but continue to rebuff those interested. Seravalli reports that Rangers even received an offer from the Los Angeles Kings to swap top picks (the Kings hold the second-overall selection) but have “zero intention” of moving off number one.

That would certainly suggest that the Rangers agree with the rest of the world and will select Alexis Lafreniere first this evening. While Quinton Byfield and Tim Stuetzle are supremely talented players that will make their respective franchises very happy, there’s just no comparison to the potential that Lafreniere brings as a do-it-all superstar. The 18-year-old winger has won the CHL Player of the Year award in each of the last two seasons and showed the world what kind of a competitor he was at the World Juniors, physically dominating his opponents and returning from a knee injury to help Canada win a gold medal (and take home the tournament MVP honors).

  •  The Vegas Golden Knights are trying hard to move Marc-Andre Fleury, as Seravalli reports on TSN’s Insider Trading that they are trying to encourage teams to act as a “broker” and take on some of Fleury’s cap hit in a three-team deal. The Toronto Maple Leafs did something similar for Vegas this season when they assumed part of Robin Lehner’s salary in exchange for a fifth-round pick, but the Golden Knights are offering an even bigger prize to teams willing to help them facilitate a Fleury trade. Seravalli reports that Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon has offered a second-round pick to that broker team, but so far that hasn’t been enough to eat the $3.5MM that the Golden Knights are hoping for. Instead, teams like the Carolina Hurricanes who have been involved could be asking for as much as a first- and second-round pick in order to take on that much salary over the final two seasons of Fleury’s deal.
  • While the hockey world goes crazy over this week of draft and free agent frenzy, remember that the 2020-21 season is not going to start for quite some time. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet confirmed today what many have speculated on, that the league is now looking at January 1, 2021 as a potential start date for next season. Previously, the league had listed December 1 as the target, but that always seemed optimistic.

Snapshots: Palm Springs, Boughner, Engelland

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

When the Seattle Kraken enter the league for the 2021-22 season, they likely won’t have a primary AHL affiliate yet. That’s because the new Palm Springs franchise announced today that instead of a downtown arena they will now be building a location in the Coachella Valley which is scheduled to be ready for the 2022-23 season. For 2021-22, since the team will not have the full complement of minor leaguers, the most likely scenario will be finding places for them elsewhere.

The unnamed AHL franchise will play in a privately funded building owned by the Oak View Group and The H.N. & Frances C. Berger Foundation. Construction is set to break ground in 2021 and it will be a 10,000-plus seat venue.

  • The San Jose Sharks are expected to remove the interim tag from head coach Bob Boughner in the coming days, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Boughner led the Sharks to just a 14-20-3 record after replacing Peter DeBoer this season, but has a strong history with the front office from his multiple stints as an assistant coach. Boughner has plenty of experience behind the bench, having coached the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL for years and spending two seasons as head coach of the Florida Panthers.
  • Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon didn’t have a lot of answers regarding the goaltending situation for his team this summer and whether they would bring back Robin Lehner on a multi-year contract, but did shed some light on a different trade deadline discussion. Deryk Engelland, who has been a leader in Vegas since the franchise first joined the league, was offered a deal at the deadline to go to a team that wanted him. Engelland declined the opportunity, even though his lineup spot had disappeared and he wouldn’t be suiting up in the playoffs. McCrimmon told reporters including Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com that Engelland felt the Golden Knights had a real shot at winning the Stanley Cup and he accepted his role down the stretch. The 38-year-old defenseman played in 49 regular season games and is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Snapshots: Simmonds, Crawford, Wheat Kings

at CDT | by 6 Comments

Wayne Simmonds wasn’t effective this season. In 61 games with the New Jersey Devils he scored just eight goals and then was traded for a conditional fifth-round pick to a team that had no real shot at the playoffs. Simmonds ended the year with a single assist in seven games with the Buffalo Sabres, meaning his final tally was eight goals and 25 points on the season. That was his worst year since 2008-09 when he was a rookie, but he still feels like he can contribute somewhere next season. Speaking to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Simmonds responded directly to the speculation that he could return to his hometown of Toronto:

So of course it’s crossed my mind. I know they’re in a bit of a salary cap situation and things of that nature, but you know I’m open to everything, Toronto’s got a great core of players and I think that’s definitely a team where I could go in and make an impact right away. It’s up to the teams. Whoever wants to choose me, I’ll be waiting. I’ll definitely be ready to go.

The Maple Leafs brought back hometown boy Jason Spezza this season on a league-minimum deal and may not have a lot more than that to offer to Simmonds, if the match were to be made. Even after clearing Kasperi Kapanen’s contract off the books, the Maple Leafs still have close to $74MM committed to just 16 players for 2020-21.

  • Corey Crawford isn’t the youngest goaltender among those headed to unrestricted free agency, but he still may be one of the best. The 35-year-old bounced back from some concussion issues to record a .917 save percentage in 40 appearances this season, the exact number his career percentage sits at over nearly 500 games. He’s played each of those contests with the Chicago Blackhawks and the team is discussing a new deal with him to return. Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that the Blackhawks have offered Crawford a one-year contract around $3.5MM already.
  • Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon is no longer the owner of the Brandon Wheat Kings, a team he’s been affiliated with since 1988. McCrimmon has sold the WHL team to the J&G Group of Companies, ending a long, successful era that also included stints serving as head coach and GM of the team he owned. Fans of the Wheat Kings shouldn’t have any fear of relocation after the sale, however, as new owner Jared Jacobson was born and raised in Brandon and is a huge part of the city’s business community. McCrimmon will also be remaining with the organization as an alternate governor.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top