Offseason Checklist: Vegas Golden Knights

But there will come a time in the next few days when they will be able to lock Andersson up.  If they can offload Pietrangelo, that’s the best option and they don’t have to wait until Wednesday.  If not, there’s offseason LTIR and then they can sign Andersson into the additional flexibility created there; they’re just stuck waiting until July 1st.

The timing here matters.  If they can open up enough cap space to sign him before free agency starts, they can do an eight-year deal with Andersson.  That’s probably the desired outcome for both sides.  However, if they have to wait until Wednesday to do it, he’s no longer their free agent, just a free agent.  That means they, like any other potential suitor, would be capped at a seven-year offer.

Semantics of when and how they can do this deal aside, there’s still the matter of getting him signed.  The 29-year-old projects as one of the top players available in this year’s free agent class and could conceivably come close to doubling the $4.55MM AAV he played for in each of the last six years.  Speculatively, given their favorable tax situation, the Golden Knights might be able to get him signed for a little below double that.  Something around Pietrangelo’s price tag is likely where it’s going to fall.  Knowing that, it’s just a matter of getting pen to paper, ideally sometime over the next 48 hours or so if they can pull it off.

Move A Goalie

You may have noticed that goaltending wasn’t mentioned in the clearing money section.  But it certainly looks as if they’ll have to move a netminder.  When Carter Hart returned from injury late in the season, the Golden Knights carried three goalies – him, Adin Hill, and Akira Schmid.  The ability to carry three netminders is a luxury they’re no longer going to be able to afford.

For starters, Schmid is set to become a restricted free agent on Wednesday.  He posted a 2.59 GAA with a .893 SV% in 34 outings in 2025-26, numbers that are worthy of a fair-sized raise from the $875K he made the last two years.  Doubling it seems very doable, especially with arbitration eligibility.  AFP Analytics projects a two-year pact worth $2.527MM per season.  That’s more than half their remaining cap space without filling any of the many roster spots that need to be filled.  Accordingly, he looks like a strong candidate to be moved.

Assuming that Hart – their playoff starter – isn’t going anywhere, the other option to move would be veteran Adin Hill.  In theory, that would make sense.  In reality, that’s not going to be easy.  Hill posted a save percentage of just .870 this season and the sixth-worst Goals Saved Above Expected mark, per MoneyPuck, at -14.2.  He has five years remaining on his contract with a $6.25MM AAV.  That is not going to be an easy contract to move and that’s putting it lightly.

Clearing Hill and re-signing Schmid would give them several extra million in spending flexibility which could lessen the need to cut salary elsewhere.  But if that’s not an option, then Schmid will need to move on.  That won’t actually save them any cap space given their current situation but that move would stop things from getting even tighter.

Rebuild Depth

As things stand, Vegas has nine NHL forwards and four healthy NHL defensemen under contract for next season.  Basically, every one of their depth players from this past season is set to hit the open market.  Up front, the list includes Brandon Saad, Reilly Smith, Colton Sissons, and trade deadline acquisition Cole Smith.  On the back end are Jeremy Lauzon, Ben Hutton, and Dylan Coghlan.

Realistically, all of those players need to be re-signed or replaced.  Also realistically, it’s hard to see them being able to afford anyone making much more than the $850K minimum salary unless one of their more prominent pieces ultimately gets moved out.  Up front, Trevor Connelly and Braeden Bowman are candidates to move up but combined, they’re nearly $200K above two minimum-salaried players.  Depending on everything else that happens roster-wise, they may be in tough to afford even that.

If McCrimmon isn’t able to open up cap room over the next few days, they may have to wait a while to really try to fill out the roster.  Basically, wait until the opening flurry of free agency is done and eventually, some asking prices will come down as players look to secure a guaranteed spot for training camps in the fall.  That might be their shopping ground to fill out several of their depth spots so some patience is going to be required on their end.