Golden Knights Trying To Trade Defenseman This Offseason

The Vegas Golden Knights have been forced to rework their defense this offseason as Alex Pietrangelo may never play hockey again, Nic Hague required a larger contract as a RFA, and the team is still trying to acquire someone like Rasmus Andersson.

Zach Whitecloud could move up the lineup to the second pairing if nothing else changes, while newly acquired Jeremy Lauzon and Kaeden Korczak will likely pair up on the third pairing. This leaves Ben Hutton as the seventh defenseman, and as that isn't a bad thing, David Pagnotta reported that the Golden Knights are trying to move him this offseason.

Hutton got into 11 regular season games for Vegas last season and didn't suit up in the playoffs. The veteran only logged a mere 13:14 of ice time in the games he got in and won't see more playing time with the Golden Knights unless multiple defenders go down mid-season. That isn't a recipe for success and although Hutton's cap hit of $975,000 and heading into the final year of his deal isn't a huge burden on the team, they could free up more cap space to complete the roster by moving him and having a cheaper option on the roster as the seventh d-man, such as Jaycob Megna ($800,000), Dylan Coghlan ($775,000), or Lukas Cormier (RFA).

I don't think the Golden Knights are satisfied with their defense and it will likely look different after the trade deadline. Keep an eye on this crafty team that is always looking at ways of upgrading through trades as not only Hutton could be moved, but another defenseman as well.