Golden Knights have avenue to make another massive move

Just because the Vegas Golden Knights made the splashiest move of the offseason by picking up forward Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs does not mean the team is done making moves.

The one aspect that has defined general manager Kelly McCrimmon’s tenure at the helm has been the unparalleled aggression he has at retooling and improving the roster. Marner is just the latest bold move in a flurry of them throughout the last few years, which has brought the likes of Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl to Vegas. With defenseman Alex Pietrangelo likely medically retired and on long-term injured reserve, the Golden Knights still have a little bit more money to play with.

While there may be some hurdles to clear, there is a path to make one more major move possible.

One of the top defensemen in the league has the Golden Knights circled as a destination.

With most of the top free agent defensemen off the board, the Calgary Flames could see renewed trade interest in defenseman Rasmus Andersson. However, the catch for the Flames is that the only team he would sign an extension with is the Golden Knights, potentially bringing the price down.

However, Andersson’s $4.55 million cap hit will not work with the team’s current cap situation, and even moving a player to make the extra room could lead to some trouble bringing in reinforcements.

Calgary might have their eyes on another defenseman, though, in Bowen Byram of the Buffalo Sabres, and that could be where the Golden Knights make their move.

Is a three-team trade possible?

While the Sabres did acquire Michael Kesslring in the JJ Peterka trade with the Utah Mammoth, the Sabres still have a hole on the right side of their defense and a little under $13 million in cap space. It is unlikely that Andersson would consider re-signing with the Sabres, but the Golden Knights could have a solution.

If Andersson wants to go to the Golden Knights, it could push Zach Whitecloud on the bubble. While Whitecloud has been useful as a bottom-pairing defenseman and penalty killer at a reasonable $2.75 million cap hit, it is likely that the team would prefer to use Kaedan Korczak in that capacity. Getting Andersson would provide a boost to Vegas’ top-four defensive group and reunite him with Noah Hanifin, while Whitecloud gets an opportunity to produce up the lineup and potentially get a bigger payday when his contract expires in 2028.

On top of getting Whitecloud, Buffalo could also absorb half of Andersson’s cap hit to keep the Golden Knights in a good situation. Vegas would have to throw in a mid-round pick or prospect of similar value, but the Sabres will likely get most of their return from Calgary in exchange for Byram.

Getting Andersson to Vegas will prove quite the challenge for McCrimmon and crew, but it would be further proof that the Golden Knights are aiming to hoist the Stanley Cup again.