Vegas Golden Knights: Buffalo Sabres are the ideal trading partners

1. Rasmus Ristolainen

The subject of fierce trade talk for much of the summer and the preseason, Rasmus Ristolainen’s future with the Buffalo Sabres isn’t clear and he could be the first defenseman to be moved out of the building if the Buffalo Sabres do decide to head in that direction.

So, why would he be a good fit for the Vegas Golden Knights? Let’s dive into the pros and cons…

Pros

Only 24-years-old, Ristolainen would be a long-haul acquisition for the Golden Knights and he could form the core of the blueline alongside Shea Theodore.

Also, with his current contract running through 2021-22, the Knights would have a couple of years before they would have to worry about thrashing out a new deal.

He’s a puck-moving defenseman blessed with elite vision and the ability to make plays and dictate the tempo. The 24-year-old is also a gifted playmaker and he led all Sabres blueliners in assists with 38 last year.

He was also third on the whole team in assists behind only forward Sam Reinhart and face of the franchise Jack Eichel.

There is no doubt that Ristolainen would help significantly with Vegas’ transition game and, being a right shot, he would add considerable balance to the blueline given that eight of the nine Golden Knights defensemen currently on the roster are left shots.

Cons

One of the biggest kinks in Ristolainen’s game is his tendency to make a boneheaded play in his own zone, and his defensive play is nowhere near the finished product although, at just 24-years-old, he has plenty of room to grow and improve.

He’s arguably not the most responsible in his own zone as backed up by the fact that he had the worse plus/minus rating on the Buffalo Sabres last year with -41, although he has looked more solid through six games this season.

We won’t get into the cap situation now because we’re going to delve into that soon, but the biggest downside to Rasmus Ristolainen’s game revolves around his bad habits and silly lapses in concentration.

2. Jake McCabe

On the other end of the spectrum to Rasmus Ristolainen, Jake McCabe is more of a reliable stay-at-home defenseman, who can lay the body on with his big 6’1″ & 204 lb frame, as demonstrated by this collision with New Jersey Devils forward Taylor Hall.

Pros

He’s responsible in his own zone – he has a plus/minus rating of +1 through six games this year – and he’s not going to produce any highlight reel plays but you are going to get solid defense from him in abundance.

And, like Ristolainen, McCabe is still young (26-years-old) so he’s just approaching his prime and is under control for another year after this season at a fairly manageable cap hit.

He would be an upgrade on someone like Nick Holden and could replace Deryk Engelland on the PK if the veteran does decide to hang up his skates after this year.

McCabe is a puck-eating machine having blocked 99 shots last year, in addition to dishing out 103 hits and logging an average of 18:57 minutes of total ice time a night, while that has increased to 21:48 this year.

Cons

McCabe won’t bring much offensive upside to the table having contributed just 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) last year, although that is what you have Shea Theodore and Nate Schmidt for.

Plus, if you paired McCabe with Nic Hague then that would allow the rookie to focus on his strengths which is a more offensive-based game.

The other caveat at play here is the fact that McCabe wears an “A” on his jersey this year, and he has established himself as a cornerstone piece on the Sabres’ revamped and refreshed blueline under new Head Coach Ralph Krueger.

So, as a result, the Golden Knights would more than likely have to give up a rather substantial package in order to make any trade involving McCabe for the Sabres worthwhile.

Which leads us to…

What would a possible trade look like?

The Vegas Golden Knights have a couple of assets they could flip, chief among them veteran defenseman Nick Holden who is in the final year of a $2,200,000 contract.

However, the 32-year-old is trending downwards and due to the abundance of riches the Buffalo Sabres have already on their blueline, it is unlikely they would be willing to take on another defenseman, especially one they would have to pay again in the off-season.

So, could Cody Eakin be an attractive trade chip in order to acquire someone in the ilk of Rasmus Ristolainen or Jake McCabe?

It is believed that Vegas were reluctant to part ways with Eakin back in the summer when he kept cropping up in trade talks, with the center having established himself as a vital depth player for this franchise.

But, following the emergence of rookie phenom Cody Glass, Eakin could be more expendable now especially when you consider that he will be an unrestricted free agent next summer anyway.

By moving Eakin, you would free up the center role on the third line for Glass who is a natural pivot while shedding $3,850,000 in order to free up cap space for Ristolainen or McCabe.

Vegas could also include a depth player in the ilk of William Carrier or Tomas Nosek in any potential trade given that both players will also be eligible for free agency next off-season, although it is unlikely that the Golden Knights would want to let too many role players go.

Trading Eakin would make the most sense with Glass now on the scene, plus shedding Eakin’s contract would create more wriggle room when it comes to fitting a defenseman under the cap.

It goes without saying, of course, that the Knights would have to include other assets and picks in any package because, let’s face it, Eakin and depth players won’t get you a great deal back in return.

Buffalo could be looking for a top six forward in return and, who knows, Paul Stastny might even be available following the emergence of Cody Glass. Stastny could slot in on the second line for the Sabres and he would be good for 35-45 points a year.

A package featuring a top six forward such as Stastny, picks and or prospects would be a fair return for Ristolainen in particular, given that he is thought to be expendable.

Whether the Golden Knights would want to trade a key piece such as Stastny at this point remains to be seen, but they would have to give up a top six forward as part of any trade package.

McCabe currently carries a cap hit of $2,850,000 and is under contract through 2020-21, while Ristolainen has a hefty average annual value of $5,400,000 through 2021-22.

Vegas currently has $3,344,999 in cap space although that will change once Alex Tuch comes off the LTIR, so the Golden Knights are going to have to shift some contracts off the books in order to take another one on.

It is important to remember, though, that the Knights will have around $15 million in cap space to play with next summer, so any financial juggling this season would be short-term.

Conclusion

In reality, we have no idea if the Vegas Golden Knights would consider a trade for a defenseman but the stats and the eye test tells us that the blueline needs some help.

If the front office did decide to pursue reinforcements, then the Buffalo Sabres would be the perfect trade partners given that they are said to be shopping blueliners.

And either Rasmus Ristolainen or Jake McCabe would be perfect for the Golden Knights, while being completely different players.

Ristolainen would fill the void the Knights have when it comes to naturally gifted puck-moving defensemen, and he would add considerable balance to the defensive pairings given that he is a right shot unlike eight of the Knights’ current active defensemen on the roster.

McCabe, on the other hand, is a defensive upgrade on Nick Holden and Deryk Engelland and he could be the perfect partner for a more offensive-minded linemate in Shea Theodore, Nate Schmidt or Nic Hague.

Obviously, it goes without saying that the Golden Knights would have to do a lot of magic when it comes to dealing with the cap, although Owner Bill Foley has said that the team will have flexibility in that department come the Trade Deadline, so that is something to keep an eye on.

And the package sent over to the Sabres would have to be substantial with a top six forward, Cody Eakin and picks probably the price that would have to be paid in order to acquire a top four defenseman.

Overall, the Stanley Cup window for the Vegas Golden Knights is open right now but they could do with some help on the blueline and the Buffalo Sabres may just be able to help them out.

After all, these teams have already conducted some business having pulled the trigger that sent defenseman Colin Miller to the Sabres during the off-season, so Buffalo could be willing to return the favor if Vegas comes calling.