Summer synopsis for Stanley Cup-winning Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights won the ultimate prize this past spring in just their sixth season in existence. It was a spectacular rise that is the envy of almost every franchise in the NHL. The Knights shot to their first championship just a year after they missed the playoffs and are looking like a possibility to repeat. Now just because a team looks as though they can repeat doesn’t mean they will. Only two teams have accomplished this feat in the past 25 years, and they both required a lot of good luck both on and off the ice to accomplish it. No one knows if Vegas will be able to repeat, but there is little doubt that they must be one of the favorites to come out of a weak Western Conference.

Vegas was strapped once again by the salary cap this summer and had to move on from some players who had been with the club for a long time. But like every team that wins hockey’s ultimate prize, they will be counting on new blood to inject some energy into the lineup.

Draft

1-32: C David Edstrom, Frolunda-JR (Sweden-JR)
3-77: C Mathieu Cataford, Halifax (QMJHL)
3-96: D Arttu Karki, Severstal Tappara JR. (Finland-JR)
6-192: RW Tuomas Uronen, HIFK JR. (Finland-JR)

With the last pick in the first round of this year’s NHL entry draft, Vegas elected to take big two-way center Edstrom out of Sweden. The 18-year-old was a point-a-game player in almost every league he played in last season as he bounced around to different tournaments and league teams. He is slated to start the year in the SHL and will have the opportunity to play against men. Edstrom has a very balanced game that surprises a lot of people, he is an excellent passer, is very good off the rush and can turn from defense to offense very quickly. His transition game is very underrated, and it could become his calling card as he is sound defensively.

Cataford is unlikely to wow anyone with his offensive ability, but he is an honest player who is difficult to contend with in one-on-one battles and has a nose for the net. He is well suited to be a bottom-six NHLer as his defensive game is his strongest attribute. He is good at identifying defensive zone issues and is quick to close gaps, he has good speed north to south and can use his physicality to separate player from puck. His movement laterally isn’t great, and he will likely need to improve on it if he wants to become an NHL penalty killer.

Trade acquisitions

None

UFA signings

D Mason Geertsen (two years, $1.55M)*

Due to cap constraints, the Golden Knights were far less active in free agency than they had been in any previous offseason. Mason Geertsen was signed to a two-way contract and will likely spend the bulk of the season in the AHL with Henderson. The 28-year-old offers little in the way of offensive production as he had just four goals and four assists last season in 61 AHL games with Utica. The native of Drayton Valley, Alberta, has dressed in 25 career NHL games with the New Jersey Devils and has yet to register a point.

RFA re-signings

LW Pavel Dorofeyev (one year, $825K)
C Brett Howden (two years, $3.8M)
G Jiri Patera (one year, $775K)*
D Brayden Pachal (two years, $1.55M)*

*-denotes two-way contract

Vegas didn’t have much business to take care of on the restricted free-agent market. Brett Howden is a player that scouts were high on when he first broke into the league with the New York Rangers in 2018-19. Howden registered six goals and 17 assists that season in 66 games and appeared poised to be a two-way threat from the center position. Now five years into his NHL career, Howden has never reached the same offensive numbers posting just six goals and seven assists in 54 games last season, however, his defensive game has improved over time. Howden’s lines don’t typically drive the play when he is on the ice, but he is defensively sound and has become much more responsible with the puck as his career has gone on. He is also sneaky good at stripping the puck off opponents using both his size and skill.

Departures

F Phil Kessel (unsigned UFA)
C Nolan Patrick (unsigned UFA)
C Sakari Manninen (signed in Champions Hockey League)
C Maxim Marushev (signed in KHL)
D Connor Corcoran (signed in AHL)
RW Spencer Foo (signed in KHL)
LW Reilly Smith (traded to Pittsburgh)
G Jonathan Quick (New York Rangers, one year, $825K)
G Laurent Brossoit (Winnipeg, one year, $1.75M)
C Teddy Blueger (Vancouver, one year, $1.9M)
F Sven Baertschi (Retired)

On paper it looks like Vegas lost a lot of pieces, however, a deeper dive into the list shows you that the Golden Knights only lost a single player that dressed in their Stanley Cup -winning game this past June.

Smith was the cap casualty that allowed the Golden Knights to be cap-compliant for the upcoming season. The 32-year-old was shipped to Pittsburgh for a third-round pick in a trade that looks lopsided on paper but appears less so after putting it into context. Vegas badly needed to clear cap room and was able to recoup an asset for Smith rather than having to attach one to ship out another contract. As the summer went on teams had a difficult time moving out money and Vegas was able to shed all of Smith’s contract without having to retain any of his cap hit. Pittsburgh did well in the trade, Smith is still a terrific player and should have every opportunity to play alongside Evgeni Malkin.

Blueger dressed in just six games for the Knights during their run to the Stanley Cup. He has never been able to post much in the way of offense but is a decent penalty killer and a good defensive center. He was snakebit offensively last year but still managed to get a decent payday this summer from the Vancouver Canucks. Vegas has enough depth to overcome his departure and shouldn’t have too much cause for concern that he will not be in the lineup come opening night.

Kessel dressed in all 82 regular-season games for the Golden Knights last season and registered 14 goals and 22 assists while averaging 12:49 of ice time a game. It was the first time Kessel had averaged less than 15 minutes a game since 2007-08. Kessel’s game has been in decline since his exit from Pittsburgh in 2019 and it became evident in April that he wasn’t able to keep up with the pace of playoff hockey. The 36-year-old had two assists in just four playoff games for Vegas and didn’t dress after the first round. He was not re-signed before July 1st allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent and to this point, he has gone unsigned which will likely mean the end of his incredible Iron Man streak.

Salary-cap outlook

The Golden Knights salary-cap situation was dire this offseason as evidenced by their lack of roster improvement. Long term the club currently has about $17M available next summer to sign 6-7 players and depending on the salary-cap increase that number could top $20M. At first glance it seems like an opportunity to make a splash however Vegas has several key unrestricted free agents to re-sign in Chandler Stephenson and Jonathan Marchessault, who are both due raises on their current cap hits. Stephenson has posted several strong seasons and is currently making just $2.75M, he should easily double that on his next contract.

Key questions

Who will be the starter? Adin Hill has a new two-year deal in hand, but he has yet to cement himself as an NHL starter despite having a Stanley Cup on his resume. Hill has never dressed in more than 27 NHL games in any one season and was a bit of a journeyman prior to being acquired for a fourth-round pick last summer. The good news for the Knights is that they still have Logan Thompson waiting in the wings, and he showed last year that he is more than capable of taking hold of the net.

Can Vegas repeat? Vegas was never really in danger in last year’s playoffs as they were able to neutralize the likes of Connor McDavid, Matthew Tkachuk, and Leon Draisaitl with stifling defense while riding the hot hand of Hill to the Stanley Cup Final. Vegas used multiple goalies and had a lot of luck along the way, which begs the question as to whether they can win it all a second time. They have virtually the same roster that they did a year ago, meaning the odds of a repeat are actually pretty good.

Can Mark Stone stay healthy? Stone is a warrior, he showed that in the playoffs when he returned to the lineup to captain Vegas to their first Stanley Cup. Stone had 11 goals and 13 assists in 22 games while playing almost 19 minutes a night. However, he has played just 80 games over the past two seasons as he has dealt with back issues that have persisted. It will be interesting to see if his body can hold up to the grind of a grueling 82-game regular season.