2 Trade Candidates Cited From Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights have some work to do this summer after bowing out in the second round of the playoffs. But how much work they'll be doing is in question. of Vegas Hockey Now is emphatic that they "should not, under any circumstances, ‘blow it up.’"
But in looking for a scoring forward, with only $9 million or so of cap space to work with, they won't be shopping in the high-rent district of free agency, like in the Mitch Marner, Nikolaj Ehlers or Brock Boeser aisle. They still have their own free agents to re-sign out of that $9M, including Reilly Smith, and potentially Victor Olofsson and Brandon Saad, at the right price.
So how do they go about making changes?
According to Kirkell, there are two players who could be considered trade candidates this summer:
Ivan Barbashev and Nicolas Roy.
In the case of Barbashev, he has three years left on his deal with a $5 million cap hit annually. He stepped up with a nice 23-goal, 51-point season this year, but took a big step back in the playoffs with just two points in 11 games, and a minus-9 rating.
In addition to his postseason disappearing act, another big reason Kirkell suggests Barbashev as a trade option is that he only has an 8-team no-trade list. "After the postseason Barbashev had, I wouldn’t be surprised if (GM Kelly) McCrimmon tried to move him," she writes.
Nicolas Roy could be trade bait for Golden Knights this summer
Roy would enter the trade discussions due to the sheer depth of centermen the Golden Knights have. "They could dangle a player like Nic Roy as trade bait in hopes of securing a scoring winger... Any team lacking depth down the middle would salivate at the player and attached contract."
Roy had another double-digit scoring season, with 15 goals and 31 points in 71 games, and is a solid depth contributor. He has two seasons left with a $3 million cap hit.
Photo: © Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images
