It may not seem like it now but the trade that brought Nicolas Roy to Sin City and sent Erik Haula in the opposite direction makes a lot of sense for the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Vegas Golden Knights pulled the trigger on a trade that sent Erik Haula to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Roy and a conditional fifth round pick in 2021.
That conditional pick, by the way, will remain a fifth round selection if Haula remains on the Canes roster beyond 2019-20, if Carolina trade Haula for either a player or multiple picks then Vegas will receive a pick in rounds 1-5, or they will be left with no pick if Haula walks next year (Information per Pierre LeBrun).
Getting back to the main topic of the day, though, and as sad as it was to see Haula go, this was a trade that ticked a lot of boxes for the Golden Knights.
Firstly, they had no choice but to clear a few bodies off the roster via the trade market because of their salary cap situation.
Exiting the 2019 NHL Entry Draft over the newly-decided $81.5 million salary cap for 2019-20, Vegas found themselves in a bit of a bind with some major decisions still to navigate.
They accomplished their biggest priority of the offseason after re-signing star forward William Karlsson to an eight-year deal with an average annual value of $5.9 million.
As a result, the Golden Knights moved quickly to pull the trigger on two trades that sent Haula to the Carolina Hurricanes and Colin Miller to the Buffalo Sabres, moves designed to help them navigate the choppy waters of the cap that was lower than expected.
Haula played a vital role in Vegas’ famous and stunning run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, posting 29 goals and 26 assists for 55 points in 76 regular season games, in addition to nine points (three goals, six assists) in the playoffs.
He brought versatility to the table due to his ability to be able to play both center and wing, while he also achieved a winning percentage over 50% in each of his two seasons in Sin City.
Haula’s second season with the Knights was ravaged by a knee injury suffered on Nov, 6, bringing a premature end to his year in which he had tallied seven points (two goals, five assists) in the opening 15 games of 2018-19.
However, the 28-year-old is expected to be fit and raring to go by the start of training camp and he’ll add valuable depth and secondary scoring to a Canes team who went against expectations last year after making it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Losing Haula was a blow to Vegas given the level of production the forward put up in his first year with the franchise, but it was a necessary move to make for the long-term betterment of the team as it is currently constructed.
The return arguably should have been greater but, when you find yourselves in salary cap hell as the Vegas Golden Knights did this summer, other teams are going to hold you to ransom when it comes to striking deals.
That’s just the nature of the business.
However, the conditional fifth round pick in 2021 aside, the Vegas front office will no doubt have been pleased after adding another body to their depth chart in Roy.
Roy is a big-bodied center that will no doubt start 2019-20 in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves, unless of course he is lights out in training camp and somehow beats out Tomas Nosek for the fourth-line center job.
The Knights had plenty of opportunity to take a live look at Roy during the 2019 Calder Cup Finals where he helped the Charlotte Checkers to championship success over the aforementioned Wolves.
He totalled six goals and nine assists for 15 points in 19 games during the Checkers’ postseason run, good enough for tied fourth on the team.
His most impressive feat in the playoffs was without doubt the three goals and one assist he registered in Game 5 against the Wolves, with his ability to get to the front of the net proving impossible to handle.
Roy also had 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points in 69 regular season games for Charlotte, proving that he does boast a scoring touch.
But, at a hulking 6’4″ and 207 lb, Roy brings a lot more than just secondary scoring to the table, namely size and an ability to hit like a train and leave his mark on the opposition.
The 22-year-old is a power forward who can dominate on the forecheck, he can win faceoffs and he can also add a physical presence on the wing if required.
Carrying a cap hit of $720,000 through 2020, Roy is a useful asset to have and can easily be plugged into a bottom six role in the NHL should injuries strike at any point next year.
So, although trading a player of Haula’s ilk and worth is always a tough pill to swallow, the Vegas Golden Knights were still able to address some needs by creating the cap space needed to retain Karlsson, in addition to bolstering their depth with a young prospect who will have a chance to win an NHL roster spot out of training camp.
Trading away Haula paved the way for a string of moves that has given the Knights flexibility when it comes to the salary cap, while in return they gained a player who can solidify their depth at the center ice position.
It may not seem like it now but this could prove to be a win-win trade for the Vegas Golden Knights but, for now at least, it was a move that ticked all the right and necessary boxes.