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The Vegas Golden Knights have never shied away from aggressive roster reconstruction.
After falling to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round and being shut out in the final two games, general manager Kelly McCrimmon appears to have the green light to make another major move. He did so at the 2024 trade deadline, acquiring defenseman Noah Hanifin and swinging a massive last-minute deal for forward Tomas Hertl. Now, despite cap space being reserved for extensions on Jack Eichel and Pavel Dorofeyev, as well as limited assets from years of wheeling and dealing, the Golden Knights appear poised to go big-game hunting this offseason.
To the surprise of no one, the Golden Knights are reportedly in on arguably the biggest fish of the offseason.
The Golden Knights could be pursuing an option to guarantee themselves a shot at the biggest free agent on the market.
After years of playoff futility, it appears as though Toronto Maple Leafs star winger Mitch Marner is open to the idea of leaving Canada.
It is unsurprising that Marner wants to see his value on the open market, coming off a season where he scored a career-high 102 points. Also, despite the derision he received for the constant failures of the Maple Leafs in the playoffs, Marner scored 13 points in as many games this postseason, as well as 63 points in 70 career playoff games. Unsurprisingly, teams are lining up for the opportunity to make their pitch to Marner, and the forward is expected to eclipse the seven-year, $81.5 million deal for Artemi Panarin to the New York Rangers as the richest deal signed in free agency.
Pierre LeBrun: Anaheim, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles among teams interested in Marner; Florida, Vegas are of interest to Marner, among others – TSN 1050
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) May 24, 2025
The Golden Knights are expected to be in on Marner, and they may be willing to take an extra step to do it. According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the Leafs could be looking at a deal that sees Marner’s negotiating rights sent to Vegas.
Frank Seravalli: Vegas seems like the best fit for Mitch Marner; Leafs could look for a sign and trade – SN590
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) May 28, 2025
Why would Vegas do this and what would the deal be like?
Vegas securing Marner’s negotiating rights would go a long way towards ensuring he is a Golden Knight in 2025 and beyond.
First of all, the Knights would no longer have to wait until July 1 when free agency opens up to talk to Marner, giving them an exclusive window to negotiate with the star winger. Also, the Golden Knights would get an edge on the competition by being the only team to offer Marner a maximum eight-year contract. If they elected to wait in free agency, the most Vegas or any other team could offer is a seven-year deal, leading to the Golden Knights being embroiled in a heated bidding war.
However, according to Puckpedia, the Golden Knights only have $9.6 million in cap space to work with this offseason, and Marner’s expected AAV is well over that mark. As a result, the Golden Knights will have to move players to make room for Marner’s deal, as well as give them some financial breathing room.
While Toronto will clamor for William Karlsson, Vegas has some pieces that could be of more interest to the Leafs. Reportedly, Toronto was the runner-up to sign defenseman Alex Pietrangelo in 2020 and trading for forward Ivan Barbashev in 2023, and both won a Stanley Cup with current Leafs head coach Craig Berube with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. With both players on significant cap hits, they could be options to dangle in front of Toronto if Marner’s negotiating rights are part of a larger ‘hockey trade.’
If the Golden Knights are all-in on Marner for 2025, no team has a greater recent history in making moves that look impossible happen.
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Analyst Eyes Rangers’ Vet as Ideal Maple Leafs Trade Target
The Toronto Maple Leafs may not be done reshaping their forward group, and analyst Jay Rosehill believes a bold trade for New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck could be the answer. Speaking on LeafsNation, Rosehill said Trocheck would be a perfect fit in Toronto’s middle-six. “He’s 32 years old, so he’s got the experience. I just think that you put him in this lineup, he would fit.” Rosehill added, “It’s like there’s kind of a big missing piece in this forward group, kind of in that middle-six type of deal. And to fill it with a high-end guy like Trocheck, it would just be like, the balance would just be humming.” h/t to nyrangersinsider.com With Mitch Marner gone via free agency, the Leafs have added depth pieces like Nic Roy and Mattias Maccelli. But GM Brad Treliving admitted on July 1 that the team still needs a top-six forward. Trocheck just posted a 59-point season (26 goals, 33 assists). He’s an offensively productive player, can play with an edge, and has playoff experience. He’s also under contract for four more seasons at a $5.625 million cap hit, meaning the cost to acquire him would be significant. Still, he could provide Toronto with long-term stability up front. With his high-energy style and proven postseason impact, he’s exactly the type of player Toronto needs to help push for a Stanley Cup.
Cowboys make questionable move amid Micah Parsons stalemate
The Dallas Cowboys extended one of their stars Sunday, just not the one fans wanted them to pay. At Cowboys training camp Saturday, Dallas fans serenaded owner Jerry Jones with "Pay Micah [Parsons]" chants. The EDGE, of course, is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this season. Jones must not have been listening. He gave tight end Jake Ferguson a new contract instead. Dallas and the 26-year-old pass-catcher agreed to a four-year, $52M contract extension, via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This move seems head-scratching. Parsons has won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two first-team All-Pro nods since the Cowboys took him with pick No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old EDGE also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ferguson, meanwhile, is solid but not elite. In three seasons with the Cowboys, the 2022 fourth-round pick has made one Pro Bowl and has never finished with more than 761 receiving yards in a season. An extension for Parsons will devour future cap space. The Cowboys may be worried about that after giving quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) long-term deals in 2024. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt signed a lucrative three-year, $123M extension on July 17, making him the league's highest-paid non-QB. Parsons could command a similar contract. If cap space is Dallas' primary concern, however, why would it extend Ferguson? He's now set to be the NFL's seventh-highest-paid TE. The Cowboys waited to extend Lamb and Prescott just before the start of the 2024 season. They may be doing the same with Parsons. The star defender has said, "Ownership is always gonna make [contract negotiations] drag out." Regardless, the Cowboys should've paid Parsons before Ferguson. That's a much bigger priority for the team.
Kirk Cousins makes notable leadership move after Falcons practice
Kirk Cousins might be relegated to the job of backup quarterback, but he is showing veteran leadership to his Atlanta Falcons teammates. Following Sunday's practice, Cousins pulled aside rookie defensive end James Pearce to encourage the first-round pick after his fourth practice in the league at Flowery Branch, Georgia. "QB Kirk Cousins pulled aside Pearce after practice to compliment him on a pass batted down," wrote Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Cousins reportedly had a solid day of practice on Sunday, going 7-of-12 passing against the first-team unit. If Cousins wants out of Atlanta, he's not showing it at practice. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is competing on the field and being a good teammate around the facility. Cousins' actions on the field backed up what Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot praised Cousins for before the team's practice on Sunday. “Outside, it's a lot more of a deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said to the media about the idea of friction between the Falcons and Cousins, per video from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He shows up, he does his job, just like anybody ... We've gotta build the best 70-man roster so we can go win games. "That's what we're focused on, and Kirk, just like all the other players, is focused on coming in here and doing their job. That's what he's been doing." Fontenot didn't dismiss the idea that Atlanta would trade Cousins before the season. He said the Falcons will do whatever it takes to make the team better, but stressed that Cousins has been a professional throughout the process of being replaced by Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick from the 2024 draft. “In terms of making moves, whether it's trades or acquiring players, we're always looking at those factors," Fontenot said. "We're gonna do whatever we can do to make this team the best it can possibly be. But he's been a great professional, and he's handled himself well.” Cousins is coming to work in a manner that will make another owner want to take a chance on the veteran quarterback. That could be one of his best-selling points before he plays in his 13th season in the league.
Yankees’ Trade Deadline Predictions: 2 moves to restock barren pitching staff
The Yankees hold the top Wild Card spot in the American League, and while they’re fading fast in the American League East standings, they just need one good week to gain some momentum. Part of that momentum has to come with deadline additions to the pitching staff, as Brian Cashman has loaded New York’s offense with a solid pair of infielders in Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario. Neither player will get MVP votes, but they’re dramatic upgrades over what the team had in Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas, who combined for a -0.8 fWAR this season. McMahon’s presence has already been felt with the glove, and in this article, we’re going to predict a pair of trades the Yankees could make at this year’s trade deadline to reinforce their pitching staff with impact pitchers. To clarify; these are PREDICTIONS, not sourced information declaring the Yankees as frontrunners to acquire any of these two players. Yankees’ Revisit Trade Partner for Lockdown Versatile Bullpen Weapon COL Receives: 2B Roc Riggio and RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reported last night that the Yankees are interested in Rockies’ reliever Jake Bird, and he fits the mold of pitcher that Brian Cashman likes to target at the trade deadline. He’s not the flashy headline-grabbing name that Jhoan Duran is, but he provides a good amount of whiffs and tons of groundballs, with the 4.05 ERA being a mirage. Not only is that mark still 16% better than average when adjusting for park environments, but he sports a 3.09 FIP and 3.34 xERA as well. Bird has a .352 BABIP allowed which is inflated by the Rockies’ league-worst defense according to Defensive Runs Saved (-61), and also inflated by his home ballpark. People might be worried about his performance away from Coors Field this season, but it’s likely that the changing pitch shapes as he goes back and forth from high altitude is affecting that, and if he pitched for the Yankees I wouldn’t be worried. He’s also coming from a bottom-of-the-barrel development organization for pitching to one of the best; his already dynamic repertoire could get even better in the Bronx. Jake Bird’s 116 Stuff+ is the highest single-season mark for any Rockies’ pitcher since the metric was first tracked in 2020, meaning his pitch mix is ridiculously nasty. Yankees Land Groundball Machine From Cardinals In Three-Player Swap STL Receives: C Rafael Flores and RHP Ben Hess With a year and a half of control left, the St. Louis Cardinals probably wouldn’t shut the door on trade talks for LHP JoJo Romero, who has quietly been one of the best southpaws in baseball. His 2.12 ERA and 52.9% GB% would provide a nice addition to the bullpen, making Tim Hill the second-best lefty in their reliever group which is a brilliant reflection of their newfound depth. Romero is in the 93rd Percentile in xERA (2.75) due to a dominant sinker-slider combination that can pick up whiffs or induce soft contact on the ground. His changeup is nasty against right-handed batters, and he can mix in a four-seamer at the top of the zone as well to keep righties honest. The Yankees would suddenly boast an elite bullpen, as when they get Fernando Cruz back, they would have six late-inning options who can reliably get outs and deliver clean outings. Luke Weaver needs to get things rolling, but his stuff and command are starting to get back to normal, while Tim Hill and Devin Williams have been dominant since June 1st. Fernando Cruz had been the team’s best strikeout arm, and the combination of Jake Bird and JoJo Romero provide groundballs and whiffs to the backend of the bullpen. If the rotation can import Luis Gil and Ryan Yarbrough from the injured list, they could push someone such as Will Warren into a bullpen role, and Jack Curry of YES Network hinted at Cam Schlittler being able to do so as well. Ryan Yarbrough sliding back to the bullpen could happen as well, a role where he can provide long relief or get some tough outs with that nasty changeup. These two moves wouldn’t qualify as “making headlines”, but in combination with what they did for their infield and bench, it directly addresses the Yankees’ needs and puts them in prime position to go on a deep playoff run.
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