NHL Rumors: 3 Vegas Golden Knights Not Expected Back Next Season

The Vegas Golden Knights had their season cut short thanks to Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers. Vegas heads into the summer expected to make several changes to their roster for next season.

With limited cap space, an aging core, and some question marks throughout a few different spots of their lineup, there's lots of work to get done on the Vegas strip to get the Golden Knights back into being the best team in the league.

Here's three Golden Knights not expected back next season:

Ilya Samsonov

Samsonov had an up-and-down year in Vegas and looks to be one and done with the Golden Knights. With Akira Schmid signed for next season, and three years younger, and with Adin Hill coming back, the writing is on the wall for the Russian netminder. Samsonov went 16-9-4 and battled through some injuries throughout the regular season, which seems to be a constant from year to year. Even so, Samsonov holds a 118-48-25 record in his NHL career, he'll land on his feet this summer.

Brandon Saad

Saad managed to play in eight Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Golden Knights, and didn't score. The two-time Stanley Cup winner had 14 points in 29 regular season games for Vegas, but even so, they'll be moving on this offseason. The 32-year-old will have some interest once free agency opens, just based on his experience alone, but don't expect to see a long-term deal coming his way. A 26-goal scorer two years ago, in the right situation, he could hit 20 goals next season. 

Nicolas Roy

The Golden Knights cap situation is one of the worst in the league. They are littered with expensive deals throughout their blueline and their top-six, and with Roy being in the middle with a $3 million AAV, he could be a candidate to be moved. Roy has no trade protection, he's signed for two more years, and during the recent playoff run, only recorded four points in 11 games. Look for the Golden Knights to see if they can move on this offseason.

Photo credit:  Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images