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What Do The Golden Knights Have Planned This Summer?

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The Vegas Golden Knights quietly exited the playoffs this year in the second round and didn’t make many waves around the NHL off the ice either. The traditionally flashy franchise has made a habit of making big splashes during summers and trade deadlines, but has been quiet for the last 12 months.

Vegas spent most of the past year re-signing current players to long-term deals, bringing in veteran depth players, and making a few smaller trades. It’s been very un-Vegas-like for a team that routinely acquires the most desirable players available, contrasting sharply with how they built the 2023 Stanley Cup Championship roster.

The Knights also have significant needs; they need help on the wing, preferably a winger with some speed. They are also in desperate need of a right-shot defenseman, as well as a backup goaltender, although that is a lower priority. Given all of that, it certainly feels as though something significant is brewing in Vegas, and this could be another summer where they make some major headlines.

This assumption is based solely on gut instinct and recent history, and it does not account for the complex challenges that Vegas is likely to face if it wants to make significant moves this summer. The Golden Knights have a very weak prospect pipeline and were ranked 22nd in the NHL back in January of this year when Scott Wheeler of The Athletic conducted his rankings. It also does not reflect their salary cap situation, which has them with only $5.615MM in cap space and four players to sign (as per PuckPedia).

Nor does it consider their lack of desirable draft capital, as Vegas will go without their first-round draft pick in the subsequent two NHL Entry Drafts. Therefore, their room for improvement is severely limited, and they are heading towards some leaner years soon, which suggests they will need to go all in very soon. This situation resembles those that long-time contenders have faced before. Both Pittsburgh and Chicago have exhausted their resources in pursuit of multiple Stanley Cups, as has Tampa Bay, which is nearing the end of its window and has been aggressive every year for the past five years.

The Golden Knights have been linked to top free agent forward Mitch Marner in the past, but they would face significant obstacles trying to sign him this summer. Marner earned just under $11MM last season, and it is doubtful he will take a pay cut this summer, which would remove Vegas from the conversation as currently constructed. However, Vegas has always seemed to find a way to get their man, bringing in players like Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl, and Noah Hanifin through trades and acquiring Alex Pietrangelo in free agency.

At the time of those transactions, they had room or were able to create space through salary cap maneuvers. With Marner, though, it would be another level of difficulty to fit him under the cap, requiring Vegas to shed multiple contracts and then fill their roster with players making the league minimum. Vegas likes Marner; however, the numbers don’t lie, and signing him would be extremely difficult, not impossible, but very challenging. While they do need a top-six forward, the cost on Marner could prevent Vegas from getting involved.

Vegas could try trading salary cap space to make room for a Marner-type signing. Still, much of their depth is already on reasonable contracts, and they might be sacrificing value by overpaying in free agency. William Karlsson could be a candidate for a trade, as he has two more years remaining on his deal at $5.9MM per season. However, he is an original Golden Knight and has a modified no-trade clause (10-team no-trade list). Trading the 32-year-old would free up cap space but would also create a roster gap that would need to be filled with cheaper depth.

The same logic applies to trading forward Nicolas Roy. Sure, he earns $3MM annually, but his contract offers good value, and trading him would only create another hole that’s hard to fill. Roy has two years remaining on his deal and has scored over 30 points in each of the last four seasons, consistently providing Vegas with value that’s tough to replace.

All of this is to say that Marner is probably not in the cards for Vegas. I would never bet definitively against the Golden Knights, given their track record of pulling rabbits out of their hat, but this one would be their biggest trick yet. However, Vegas could still land a big name through free agency, and that player is Nikolaj Ehlers, who would be a perfect fit for what Vegas needs on the wing.

Ehlers still has good speed and high hockey IQ, which would fit in nicely with the Golden Knights’ forward group. Ehlers is likely gone from Winnipeg, but his market will be robust, which could take Vegas out of the running unless they can find a way to move out some salary.

So, how exactly could the Golden Knights move out some salary? Well, there is only one actual seller on the market right now, and that appears to be the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now, you might ask, why would the Penguins take on salary from Vegas? The answer is simple: they’ve done it before on multiple occasions.

The issue for Vegas is that they don’t really have any terrible contracts on their roster, and certainly none that they would pay a team like Pittsburgh to take off their hands. Vegas could move any contract on their books if they wanted to, and might have to make that difficult decision if they’re going to make changes.

Now, looping back to Pittsburgh, the Penguins have been linked to Vegas defenseman Nicolas Hague, who is an RFA and is projected to earn $2.6MM on a two-year deal this summer (per AFP Analytics). His salary isn’t included in Vegas’s salary cap projections at this point, so simply trading Hague doesn’t resolve the Golden Knights’ cap issue for next year.

However, Hague could be moved for an asset or two, which could then be used in a bigger deal. Alternatively, suppose Vegas is looking for a right-shot defenceman. In that case, they might consider Penguins veteran Erik Karlsson, who is definitely on the trade block this summer and could come relatively cheaply for the Golden Knights, with his salary retained by the Penguins.

Shayna Goldman of The Athletic recently wrote about Karlsson, loosely linking the defenseman to the Golden Knights and citing the situation surrounding Vegas defenseman Pietrangelo and his injury. It is not yet known whether the Golden Knights will place the 35-year-old on LTIR, which would significantly alter the direction of their summer spending.

All of these options are likely on the table for Vegas, which can’t be happy with its early playoff exit and needs a bit of a facelift as it nears the end of its contention window.

Photo by Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Saad Re-Signs With Golden Knights

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June 27: It is indeed a one-year, $2MM pact for Saad, according to PuckPedia. It’s split 50/50 into base salary and signing bonus and carries a full no-trade clause.

June 26: After joining Vegas midseason, it appears that winger Brandon Saad will be extending his stay.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported late Wednesday (Twitter link) that Saad is expected to re-sign with the Golden Knights.  Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek adds (Twitter link) that it will be a one-year deal around the $2MM range.

The start of the season didn’t go well for the 32-year-old.  He had an underwhelming first half, eventually falling down the depth chart in St. Louis, resulting in the Blues ultimately placing him on waivers in late January.  Signed through 2025-26 at a $4.5MM cap charge, Saad ultimately passed through unclaimed with most teams unable or unwilling to take on that type of financial commitment.

However, after clearing waivers, Saad surprised many by requesting a contract termination.  In doing so, he walked away from the remainder of his guaranteed contract to become an unrestricted free agent.  The goal was to get back to the NHL, even if it required leaving some money on the table to do so.

Saad did just that, joining Vegas on a one-year, $1.5MM pro-rated deal just one day after passing through unconditional waivers.  The hope was that he’d be able to provide some affordable secondary scoring and he did just that, collecting six goals and eight assists in 29 regular season games after notching 16 points in 43 games with St. Louis.  In the playoffs, Saad was a little quieter, however, tallying just two assists in eight outings.

A veteran of 935 career NHL regular season games and more than 500 points to his name, Saad is likely to have strong interest in his second track at free agency in less than six months if he actually gets that far.  After re-signing Reilly Smith yesterday, Vegas has $7.6MM in cap room, per PuckPedia, with a few roster spots to fill and Nicolas Hague a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

However, Vegas has been speculatively linked to several prominent free agent or trade targets that could change the financial equation.  With that in mind, even if a deal has been agreed on in principle with Saad, it wouldn’t be surprising to see it not announced right away to retain short-term spending flexibility.

Golden Knights To Extend Reilly Smith

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Pending UFA winger Reilly Smith will sign an extension with the Golden Knights instead of testing the market, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Wednesday. It’s a one-year deal worth $2MM, half of which will be paid via signing bonus, according to PuckPedia. The contract also includes a full no-trade clause.

The 34-year-old’s second stint in Vegas will last longer than a few months. The Knights reacquired the familiar face, who played for the club in its first six seasons and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2023, from the Rangers at the trade deadline in exchange for prospect Brendan Brisson and a third-round pick.

It’s been rough for the veteran winger since the Knights made him a cap casualty in the days following their Cup win. Vegas had signed him to a three-year, $15MM extension the year prior, but they needed to make room for new deals for goaltender Adin Hill and the younger and more productive Ivan Barbashev on the wing. Smith had limited trade protection, so he was dealt to the Penguins, not one of his preferred destinations, for a third-rounder.

While Smith’s 40 points in 76 games for Pittsburgh were fine, it was a sharp decline from his 56 points the year prior. He only had 13 goals, tied for his lowest tally in a season since establishing himself as a full-time NHLer with the Bruins in 2013-14. The Penguins, looking to get younger and shed salary, traded Smith to the Rangers last summer while retaining some of his contract. His point totals were similarly middling in New York as the team struggled in general, posting a 10-19–29 scoring line in 58 games before getting traded back to Vegas. He finished the year with 11 points and a +11 rating in 21 games for the Knights, although only three of those points were goals. He was also limited to three goals and an assist in 11 postseason outings.

Aside from a blip in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign, Smith was a routine 20-goal, 50-point scorer in his heyday with Vegas. Barring what would be a surprising resurgence given his age, those days are behind him. He’s still a useful depth scorer on a team that needs them, but it would probably benefit both sides if his ice time dropped from the 15 minutes per game he was still seeing last year to give him more favorable matchups. He also didn’t see much power-play time for Vegas after his reacquisition; that could change in 2025-26, depending on how aggressive a makeover the Knights’ forward group receives in the coming weeks.

Clearly, Smith’s priority was staying in Vegas. He leaves some money on the table in exchange for contractually guaranteed team stability, unless he struggles and ends up on waivers. Vegas now has $7.615MM in cap space remaining with Nicolas Hague as their only super notable RFA to re-sign, and he’s on the trade block. They’ve got five roster spots to fill, though, so that might be a tight fit barring a cap-clearing trade. There’s also the potential of defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, signed through 2026-27 at an $8.8MM cap hit, starting the season on long-term injured reserve after playing injured last year.

Image courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.

Seravalli: No Evidence Golden Knights Are Trying To Trade Hertl

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  • Yesterday morning, there was some loose speculation that the Vegas Golden Knights were in trade discussions with the Carolina Hurricanes over forward Tomáš Hertl, which could be completed by the end of the weekend. Without any solid reporting on the situation, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff refuted the talks. He stated on yesterday’s edition of Daily Faceoff Live that he found no evidence suggesting Vegas is looking to trade Hertl. Although the Golden Knights are aiming to free up salary cap space, Hertl possesses significantly more trade protection than other candidates, like William Karlsson or Ivan Barbashev, which makes moving him objectively more challenging.

    [SOURCE LINK]
  • Yesterday morning, there was some loose speculation that the Vegas Golden Knights were in trade discussions with the Carolina Hurricanes over forward Tomáš Hertl, which could be completed by the end of the weekend. Without any solid reporting on the situation, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff refuted the talks. He stated on yesterday’s edition of Daily Faceoff Live that he found no evidence suggesting Vegas is looking to trade Hertl. Although the Golden Knights are aiming to free up salary cap space, Hertl possesses significantly more trade protection than other candidates, like William Karlsson or Ivan Barbashev, which makes moving him objectively more challenging.

Free Agent Focus: Vegas Golden Knights

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Free agency is now less than two weeks away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Golden Knights.

Key Restricted Free Agents

D Nicolas Hague – Hague has been no stranger to the rumor mill in recent weeks with several teams believed to be inquiring about his services.  With Vegas looking to maximize its salary cap flexibility, it’s believed that the 26-year-old is available.  It wasn’t that long ago that Hague was viewed as a key young cog for the Golden Knights but while he started off his career in an encouraging fashion, his development has largely plateaued in recent years as he has settled in as more of a fifth or sixth defenseman.  He’s owed a qualifying offer of $2.7MM with arbitration eligibility and projects to earn a bit more than that, likely on a multi-year deal even coming off just a 12-point effort.

F Alexander Holtz – Things just have not gone as planned for the 2020 seventh-overall pick.  Unable to live up to expectations in New Jersey, Vegas picked him up last year in a draft-day swap with the thought that he’d build off the 28-point effort he had in 2023-24.  Instead, he struggled considerably, notching just 13 points in 53 games while being a healthy scratch at times and was even sent to AHL Henderson for a 16-game stint.  It’s unlikely that Vegas is ready to give up on Holtz just yet but a one-year deal at or around his $874K qualifying offer seems likely, giving him one more chance to lock down a spot.

F Cole Schwindt – A waiver claim from Calgary at the end of training camp, Schwindt stuck with the big club all season long but only got into 42 games, managing just eight points.  With less than 50 career NHL games under his belt, arbitration rights shouldn’t be too concerning for the Golden Knights so if they want to keep him around, they should feel comfortable extending the $840K qualifying offer.  If he winds up staying, it wouldn’t be surprising if that qualifying offer winds up being his next contract.

Other RFAs: D Lukas Cormier, F Raphael Lavoie, F Ivan Morozov (signed in Russia), F Jonas Rondbjerg, G Isaiah Saville

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Victor Olofsson – Olofsson elected to take a one-year, $1.075MM deal last summer with the Golden Knights in the hopes of rebuilding some of his value.  While injuries limited him to just 56 games, he did rebound somewhat, managing a respectable 15 goals and 14 assists despite seeing basically third-line minutes.  That’s not going to be enough to get him to what he made on his last deal when he was in Buffalo ($4.75MM) but it’s possible that he can get a multi-year deal somewhere around the $3MM range.  Olofsson had six goals with the man advantage this season; he has reached or beat that mark five times in the last six years, making him an intriguing option for teams looking for a little more firepower on the power play.

F Tanner Pearson – Pearson was one of the few players whose training camp tryout was successful as he inked a one-year deal for the minimum and gave them solid fourth-line minutes while staying healthy for the first time in several years.  Pearson probably is going to be viewed as someone earmarked for a similar role moving forward so his offers should come in at or around the $1MM mark.  But after having to play his way onto Vegas this season, he should have a bit more success on the open market this time around.

F Brandon Saad – After clearing waivers with St. Louis, Saad walked away from more than $5MM in guaranteed salary through next season in the hopes of finding another NHL opportunity.  That came with Vegas where he inked a pro-rated $1.5MM contract.  He fared reasonably well with them, notching 14 points in 29 games which is decent secondary scoring.  Now, he’ll look to recoup more of that money back on the open market but it would be surprising to see any offers come near his old $4.5MM AAV.  Something closer to half of that might be more realistic but he might be able to get a multi-year agreement out of it.

G Ilya Samsonov – Like Olofsson, Samsonov took a one-year deal last summer in the hopes of rebuilding some value following a particularly rough year in Toronto.  He probably didn’t hurt his value with a 2.82 GAA and a .891 SV% but he likely didn’t help it too much either and it has already been decided that he won’t be back in Vegas.  Coming off a $1.8MM contract, he could land something around a similar price tag this year but a multi-year commitment seems unlikely.

F Reilly Smith – Brought back for a second stint with the team in a trade with the Rangers at the trade deadline, Smith wasn’t able to produce at the same level as he did the first time around but, like Saad, provided decent secondary scoring.  Still, he has reached 40 points in each of the last two seasons so his camp may try to market the 34-year-old as a two-way middle-six option.  Coming off a $5MM AAV, it would be surprising to see him get a raise but his next contract might not be too much below that either.

Other UFAs: F Callahan Burke, F Mason Geertsen, D Robert Hagg (signed in SHL), D Dysin Mayo, F Mason Morelli, F Gage Quinney

Projected Cap Space

Vegas enters the summer with around $9.6MM in salary cap space which is better than it often has been for this franchise at this time of year.  However, they have a few players to sign with that money and they have been linked as a speculative landing spot for some of the more prominent pending unrestricted free agents.  They’ll need more cap space to do so, meaning a trade might be needed although the availability of Alex Pietrangelo for the start of next season is also in question.  If he’s going to be out long-term and the team goes back into LTIR, they could be in line to make a splash over the next few weeks.

Photos courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig (Hague) and Sergei Belski (Olofsson)-Imagn Images.  Contract info courtesy of PuckPedia.

Ilya Samsonov Won’t Re-Sign With Vegas, Will Test Free Agency

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It will be a one-and-done stay for Ilya Samsonov in Vegas.  Sportsnet’s Luke Fox reports that the goaltender does not intend to re-sign with the Golden Knights and will instead test the open market when free agency opens up on July 1st.

Samsonov didn’t have a great tour through free agency last year.  After making $3.55MM in his final year in Toronto, the 28-year-old took nearly a 50% pay cut, inking a one-year, $1.8MM pact in Vegas.  Seeing his salary take a dip wasn’t surprising given that his 2023-24 performance was the worst of his career, one that saw him record a 3.13 GAA and a .890 SV% in 40 starts with the Maple Leafs while even clearing waivers at one point.  Joining Vegas seemed like a good idea for a soft landing spot to allow him to rebuild some value.

Whether he accomplished that to a significant degree is up for some debate, however.  While he shaved 31 points off his GAA (down to 2.82), his save percentage only went up by one point although his Goals Saved Above Expected went up by nearly nine, per MoneyPuck.  Instead of making the case that he can still be a starter or at least a platoon player, Samsonov basically cemented his status as being more of a backup goalie heading into his now third foray on the open market.

Still, Samsonov should be able to generate some interest in free agency in a UFA class that isn’t particularly deep.  Jake Allen is the headliner and in a tier of his own while Samsonov will be competing with the likes of Alexandar Georgiev, Daniel Vladar, and Anton Forsberg to try to secure a contract to be a second-string option for next season.

As for Vegas, it’s possible that they could be on the lookout for a new backup themselves.  While Adin Hill is now entrenched as the starter as he begins a new six-year deal next season, Akira Schmid is currently penciled as the backup but is coming off a rocky year with AHL Henderson.  If they want a more proven option behind Hill, they could look to free agency but if they want to keep as much cap space intact as possible, they might opt to give Schmid the first opportunity to secure the number two role.

Offseason Checklist: Vegas Golden Knights

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The offseason has arrived for all but two teams now with the playoffs nearing an end.  Accordingly, it’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming weeks with free agency fast approaching.  Next up is a look at Vegas.

After being a Wild Card team last season, the Golden Knights won the Pacific Division this year and made it a round further in the playoffs before being ousted by Edmonton in the second round.  While it’s a step in the right direction, GM Kelly McCrimmon will still have some work to do this summer to tweak his group and set them up for the future.

Open Up Cap Space

On the surface, $9.6MM in cap space (per PuckPedia) isn’t too bad.  Frankly, it’s more than they’ve had in past years in late spring.  But that also comes with several key veterans getting set to hit the open market next month, including wingers Reilly Smith, Victor Olofsson, and Brandon Saad, along with goaltender Ilya Samsonov.  Suffice it to say, those four players alone will probably cost that much or more next month.

So, if McCrimmon wants to add anyone of consequence to his group, he will need to open up some flexibility, something that is going to be easier said than done.  William Karlsson was a logical speculative candidate with two years left on his contract at a $5.9MM AAV but that has been ruled out already.

Speculatively, their top talents are probably not in play.  Their lower-cost ones aren’t necessarily going to move the needle in terms of opening up enough space to do something.  And there aren’t too many in the medium-term cost category, especially with Karlsson off the table.  Basically, that leaves defenseman Brayden McNabb ($3.65MM) and Ivan Barbashev ($5MM) as the only pieces that could be moved that could open up enough meaningful space to contribute toward a signing.

At this point, it certainly sounds like they’d like to open up enough flexibility to do something.  How they create enough space to do so will be interesting to follow.

Work On Eichel Extension

This is something that McCrimmon highlighted at the end of the season as a priority, getting center Jack Eichel signed to a contract extension.  He’ll be entering the final year of his contract in July, making him eligible to put pen to paper on a new deal.  The two sides have already held preliminary talks but getting something across the finish line will be the goal.

The 28-year-old has done quite well with Vegas since being acquired four seasons ago following a prolonged battle with his former team in Buffalo as to what type of neck surgery to pursue.  Eichel eventually got his way with the artificial disc procedure being done upon being acquired and while he has battled injuries along the way, that particular injury hasn’t been an issue since.  He is coming off a career year that saw him record personal bests in assists (66) and points (94) and is averaging more than a point per game since the trade.  He has also become a reliable defensive player, seeing regular time on the penalty kill and landing in the top five in Selke Trophy voting.  Basically, Eichel is an all-around number one center, the type of player that is very hard to come by.

Eichel is already at the $10MM per season mark and it’s unlikely that a small increase to that will be enough to get it done thanks to the projected significant jumps to the Upper Limit of the salary cap over the next few years.  His current deal was worth 12.58% of the salary cap at the time it was signed.  Early projections for the salary cap for 2026-27 when his next contract will kick in have the ceiling at $104MM.  Simply using the same 12.58% figure against that number, that would run his price tag up to $13.083MM per season.  For now, at least, that would make him the third-highest-paid player in the league behind Leon Draisaitl ($14MM) and Auston Matthews ($13.25MM), a pair of middlemen themselves.

That’s pretty high territory for a player who has only reached the 80-point mark twice in his career, this season and back in 2018-19.  It’s not that Eichel doesn’t produce at a point-per-game level, but he does have a history of injuries; his rookie year (2015-16) was the only time he reached the 80-game mark in a season.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see McCrimmon try to factor that into the negotiation to try to get that AAV at least a little lower but Eichel’s camp should know that unless there’s a serious injury next season, he’d hit the open market as arguably the top player available at a premium position which could very well drive the price tag closer to Draisaitl’s mark.  Are the Golden Knights willing to go that high to get something done now?  We’ll find out over the next few months.

Defensive Decisions

The UFAs listed earlier aren’t the only expiring contracts the Golden Knights will be contending with this summer as defenseman Nicolas Hague is going to be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent.  Owed a $2.7MM qualifying offer this summer, the expectation is that he’ll be looking to land more than that.  Given their cap situation, there has been no shortage of speculation that he’ll move.

However, there have also been suggestions that Alex Pietrangelo’s availability to start the season could be in question.  While he was in the lineup following the 4 Nations Face-Off, he was playing through an injury the rest of the way including the playoffs and at 35 with over 1,200 NHL games under his belt (regular season and playoffs), he might be nearing the point where he’s going to be playing through some lingering issues for the final two years of his contract.  Only the Golden Knights know his true availability to start 2025-26 but even if he is good to go, would the uncertainty make them consider adding on the back end?  Would that make them lean toward keeping Hague, even though he’s a left-hand shot?

It’s expected that Kaedan Korczak will get a look at more of a regular role next season but he and Zach Whitecloud are the only other two right-hand shots on the back end in Vegas.  Both are more third-pairing types of players so if they’re worried about Pietrangelo’s full-season availability, they might want to sniff around the right-shot market.  That would cut into their cap space, obviously, but that type of insurance would be valuable.  It could come from moving Hague for a right-shot piece or moving him for futures and signing one in free agency.  One option would be an older player eligible for bonuses on a one-year deal (someone like Brent Burns), allowing them to push some of the costs to 2026-27 and potentially allow them to keep their full back end intact.  There are some options here.

Failing that, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them try to add a veteran or two on the open market that could start with AHL Henderson but come up if and when injuries arise.  The Hague speculation is plentiful but that probably won’t be the only headline from their back end this summer.

Look For Backup Goalie

After a disappointing year with Toronto in 2023-24, Samsonov opted to sign a one-year deal with Vegas in the hopes that he’d rebuild some of his value and be in better shape to hit the open market this summer.  While he shaved 31 points off his GAA (down to 2.83), his SV% only improved by one point to .891, still below league average.  At this point, it would be surprising if he returned.

Vegas did add Akira Schmid in a trade on the second day of the draft last year, acquiring him as part of the return in the deal that sent Paul Cotter to New Jersey.  With Adin Hill and Samsonov comprising the tandem with the Golden Knights, Schmid spent most of this season in the AHL with the Silver Knights where he struggled, posting a 3.58 GAA and a .886 SV% in 30 outings, numbers that don’t exactly scream promotion-ready.

Granted, Schmid did well in limited duty in five games (three starts) with Vegas and he did have a good run late in 2022-23 with the Devils but then lost the backup job the following season relatively quickly.  With just 48 NHL games under his belt (just 36 starts), is he ready to play 30 or more games with the Golden Knights?  That’s not a given.

Schmid’s contract makes him appealing (a $875K AAV) but would they be better trying to spend closer to twice as much and get a more proven option or find another Samsonov-type goalie looking to bounce back?  This isn’t necessarily a top-priority need but with the goalie market typically moving quickly once free agency opens up, a decision to that question will need to be made fairly quickly.

Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

Golden Knights Not Shopping William Karlsson

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In recent weeks, there has been speculation that the Golden Knights would like to free up some salary cap flexibility heading into free agency next month.  While that may still be the case, one of the speculated potential casualties is actually not in play; Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Vegas is not looking to move center William Karlsson.

Karlsson is one of the few remaining original members of the team after joining them in the 2017 Expansion Draft.  Throughout his time in Vegas, he has been a reliable two-way center and has signed two separate deals with the team.

However, the 32-year-old is coming off a rather quiet season.  Limited to just 53 games during the regular season due to injuries, Karlsson put up just nine goals and 20 assists while seeing his playing time drop to 17:01 per night.  His point total and ATOI were both the lowest they had been since he joined the Golden Knights.

With Jack Eichel entrenched as the number one center and a stated desire to sign him to a long-term extension this summer and Tomas Hertl in the fold for another five years, it’s understandable why some wondered if Karlsson could be in play.  And with just two seasons remaining on his contract with a $5.9MM price tag plus a strong track record, Vegas would have been in a great position to command a strong return for his services.

But center depth is difficult to part with if you can afford to keep it.  Both Eichel and Hertl have a track record of dealing with injuries themselves so having three top-six-caliber middlemen is a great luxury to have while keeping Nicolas Roy and Brett Howden in the bottom six.

Speaking of cap space, the Golden Knights presently have around $9.6MM in room, per PuckPedia.  However, they have several players to spend that money on with wingers Reilly Smith, Victor Olofsson, Brandon Saad, and goalie Ilya Samsonov all set to become unrestricted free agents next month, with Nicolas Hague, frequently mentioned in trade speculation himself, becoming an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent in July.  But while it’s understandable that Vegas wants to open up extra cap space heading into free agency, it appears it won’t be coming from one of their longest-serving players.

Flyers Now Not Believed To Be Interested In Hague

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  • While the Flyers have been suggested as a possible team interested in Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) word from a team source that this is not the case. Hague is a pending restricted free agent and with the expectation that he’ll be looking for a fair bit more than his $2.7MM qualifying offer, he has become a speculative trade candidate.  Philadelphia already has four left-shot blueliners signed for next season with Cameron York, another lefty, becoming a restricted free agent next month.

Canadiens, Penguins, Red Wings Interested In Nicolas Hague

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Nicolas Hague’s trade market continues to percolate. The Canadiens, Penguins, and Red Wings have joined the previously reported Flyers in demonstrating interest in the Golden Knights’ pending RFA defenseman’s services, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period today. Pagnotta added that the Golden Knights have informed Hague’s camp their focus is on a trade rather than a new contract, although a move is “not a guarantee.”

Hague is an intriguing option for teams looking to add a lefty who can cycle into top-four minutes amid a rather weak UFA market. He would slot in the third tier of available left-shot rearguards if he were old enough for unrestricted free agency, along with names like Brian Dumoulin, Matt Grzelcyk, Ryan Lindgren, and Nate Schmidt. He is, of course, younger than all of those options and, although he’s 26 years old, may still have a bit of room to grow into a steadier second-pairing piece. He’s projected to receive a two-year deal worth north of $2.6MM per season this summer, according to AFP Analytics. While that’s a tad prohibitive for the Golden Knights, who have bigger moves in mind, it won’t be a salary-cap hurdle for nearly every interested party.

The 6’6″ defender was Vegas’ own second-round pick in their inaugural 2017 draft class. Hague has spent his entire career in Nevada, almost exclusively as the left-shot option on their third pairing. Buried on the depth chart for years behind Brayden McNabb and now Noah Hanifin as well, his ice time took a small hit this year, averaging 17 minutes per game following three years of seeing 18-plus per game.

A steady 10-20 point producer, that’s not why teams are interested. He’s a good fringe second-pairing option with PK deployability, size, physicality, and historically strong possession metrics. ’Historically’ is doing some heavy lifting there, though. His two-way play wasn’t particularly adept in 2024-25, at least at even strength. His -4.9% relative shot-attempt share was a career-low, especially considering he received rather even offensive and defensive zone deployment. His control of possession quality (expected goals) also fell below 50% at even strength for the first time in his six-year career.

There’s enough of a track record there for reasonable optimism surrounding a rebound, though. The Ontario native enters the summer with 83 points and a +20 rating in 364 career regular-season games, and he logged 18:34 per night in Vegas’ run to the 2023 Stanley Cup.

Perhaps no team among those mentioned needs a cost-effective player like Hague more than Detroit. Negative-value signings on defense over the past few years have hampered their ability to exit their rebuild, with aging names like Ben Chiarot and Justin Holl incapable of having success in anything above a third-pairing role. Hague, while untested in 20-plus minute deployment, would be a younger, cheaper, and better-skating option than any of those other supplemental pieces behind young core defenders Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson.

There’s also a clear need for Hague’s services in Pittsburgh. While the Penguins are under far less pressure to contend for a playoff spot in 2025-26 than the Red Wings, they simply need more defenders in the system to avoid overdeploying their younger prospects while also ideally having the flexibility to move on from Erik Karlsson and begin winding down Kris Letang’s workload.  The Pens need another pickup on top of just Hague to accomplish that, but he’d go a long way toward helping and would immediately become their top left-shot option ahead of a paper-thin group behind him.

Hague would see a more familiar depth role in Montreal if that’s where he ends up. His acquisition is less about shifting him into top-four deployment – Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson, and Mike Matheson are all lefties and have that covered. It would be more about flexing enforcer Arber Xhekaj into a No. 6/7 role while having Hague replace him as the everyday left-shot option on their third pairing.

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