Vegas Golden Knights face tough decision over Deryk Engelland’s future

There is just one game left in the Stanley Cup Final which means all of the attention will soon be on the offseason for the Vegas Golden Knights and the rest of the NHL.

Either the Boston Bruins or the St. Louis Blues will be crowned champions following Game 7 on Wednesday, allowing the Vegas Golden Knights and the hockey world to focus on the NHL Entry Draft and free agency.

There are some big decisions ahead for the Golden Knights this summer with William Karlsson still in need of a long-term deal and a total of nine restricted and unrestricted free agents on the books.

Arguably the biggest storyline among those class of free agents, aside from Karlsson, is the future of Deryk Engelland.

The face of this franchise and the heartbeat of the team both on and off the ice is an unrestricted free agent this offseason and recent reports have suggested that the two parties are yet to sit down and properly discuss the potential of a discussion.

Whether or not those reports are true is hard to tell, but what is certain is that the Golden Knights have some serious thinking to do when it comes to Engelland’s future.

First and foremost, the Knights find themselves in salary cap hell and are already pressing right up against the projected cap of $83 million for 2019-20.

They still need to work out a long-term extension with Karlsson, with the forward likely looking for a deal in the region of $6-7 million.

In order to keep Karlsson in Vegas beyond this year the front office are going to have to shift bodies out of the building in order to both create cap space to hand their star center a contract in addition to remaining under the cap.

It won’t be easy and the front office are going to have to be prepared to make some cut throat decisions – that’s the nature of the business after all.

Colin Miller, Ryan Reaves and Cody Eakin could all be shopped for potential trades, while the likes of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Ryan Carpenter and Brandon Pirri might be allowed to walk as unrestricted free agents.

And that could be the fate awaiting Engelland too.

Carrying a cap hit of $1.5 million and having endured a slump in his game in 2018-19, the 37-year-old could become a victim of the numbers game.

He was superb for the Golden Knights in 2017-18 as the franchise made a stunning run to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season, posting five goals and 18 assists for 23 points in 79 regular season games.

Engelland, already a long-time Vegas native, also endeared himself to the community after stepping up and leading efforts to help the city heal following the tragic mass shootings on Oct, 1.

He’s known for his charity work in the local community and he’s a vocal leader both on and off the ice, leading by example and playing a pivotal role in helping the Golden Knights to establish themselves as a hockey powerhouse.

However, here is the caveat. Engelland struggled for large chunks of 2018-19 as father time looked to have finally caught up with the veteran defenseman.

Years of putting his body on the line and gruelling shifts in both the NHL and AHL looked to have taken its toll on the right-shot, who was exposed in the defensive zone for his lack of speed.

With just 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in 74 regular season games, Engelland suffered his worse season from a production standpoint since 2015-16.

He was still relied on heavily, logging on average 19:53 minutes of ice time a game and he posted a career-high in blocked shots (152), in addition to dishing out his highest total of hits since 2011-12 with 165.

This is a young mans’ game now, though, and teams construct their rosters based on size, speed and skill.

Engelland now finds himself in the category labelled a rare breed of hockey players and his style of play does still have a place in the NHL but in a more limited role.

His stats from this season and the fact that he helped Marc-Andre Fleury and Malcolm Subban combine for a save percentage of .924 while he was on the ice proves that Engelland still has plenty to offer.

But, if he wants to remain with the Golden Knights he will have to accept a significant pay cut and a lesser role as a seventh defenseman.

After all, Vegas have a glut of talented blueliners in the farm system in the ilk of Nic Hague and Zach Whitecloud, who are both ready to make the leap to the majors now.

Then you have Jimmy Schuldt who was in high demand after leaving college hockey before signing for Vegas.

All three have paid their dues either in the minors or in collegiate hockey and they deserve a shot at earning a full-time roster spots out of training camp.

Engelland would be the perfect mentor for any young stud looking to learn their craft and hone their skills, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone knowing his character if he did indeed decide to take a reduction in pay in order to remain in Sin City where he and his family have resided for years now.

This is perhaps the most gut-wrenching decision this franchise will have had to make since entering the NHL in 2017, but front offices are paid big money to make the toughest choices in order to help their team to succeed.

The Vegas Golden Knights are very much a Stanley Cup contender and they have to do everything in their power to ensure that window remains open for as long as possible.

If that means having to part ways with Engelland in order to keep a stud like Karlsson on the roster for the foreseeable future, then it is a price the franchise will have to pay.

Whatever happens this offseason, Engelland will be forever woven in the tapestry of this franchise for the way he’s conducted himself on and off the ice and for being the leader this hockey team and this city needed.

Whatever happens, Deryk Engelland will always go down in history as the man who helped hockey succeed and truly thrive in Las Vegas.