The Vegas Golden Knights helped out some of Chicago’s cap problems by acquiring Marcus Kruger.
It’s not every day where a team decides to trade players away. Except when it comes to the Vegas Golden Knights of course. The NHL’s 31st franchise has made many transactions since the expansion draft.
The team decided to ship out players like Alexei Emelin, Marc Methot, David Schlemko, and Trevor van Riemsdyk. General Manger George McPhee still has other deals to make with teams as he still has a surplus of defensemen in his back pocket. Luca Sbisa, Clayton Stoner, and Jon Merrill are the players I see McPhee moving on from in a few days.
However, there was a move today that will help out the teams everyday roster. The Vegas Golden Knights acquired Marcus Kruger from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for “future considerations.” This is a good trade for both teams. Chicago gets that much-needed cap relief while Vegas gets a player that will provide depth down the middle of the ice.
The 27-year-old is one of league’s best bottom six centers. Kruger throws his body around, kills penalties on a consistent basis, and he’s smart in his defensive zone. He also has a knack for scoring clutch goals in critical situations. Kruger wrapped up the year by recording five goals, 12 assists, and 17 points.
The Stockholm, Sweden native never hit the 30 point mark in his NHL career, but he’ll have a shot to reach it playing for the Golden Knights. It’s pretty safe to say that Kruger will get much more ice time in Vegas than he did in Chicago. I can see Head Coach Gerard Gallant placing Kruger into an enhanced third line role.
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The trades are starting to pile up, and as each day passes, we know more and more about the Golden Knights roster. But as I said before, McPhee is not done wheeling and dealing, and he still needs to sign five significant restricted free agents.