Vegas Golden Knights: 26 thoughts after 26 games

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DALLAS, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 25: Cody Glass #9 of the Vegas Golden Knights skates in front of Ben Bishop #30 of the Dallas Stars in the second period at American Airlines Center on November 25, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Thoughts 11-19

11. My Top Five performers of the year so far:

Marc-Andre Fleury
William Karlsson
Max Pacioretty
Mark Stone
Cody Glass / Reilly Smith (I couldn’t decide, give a man a break okay)

12. There is not a single defenseman in that list and I think that says it all. Granted, Shea Theodore and Nate Schmidt have been okay, while Nic Hague is getting better with every game he plays, but this blueline really needs a makeover.

13. I mentioned it in a piece a week or so ago, but the Vegas Golden Knights are going to have around $15 million in cap space next summer and they should use a large chunk of that on St. Louis Blues Captain Alex Pietrangelo, who is due to become a UFA in the off-season. He is the stud defenseman this team needs and it would push this franchise closer to the Stanley Cup.

ST. LOUIS, MO – NOVEMBER 21: Noah Hanifin #55 of the Calgary Flames attempts to block a shot from Alex Pietrangelo #27 of the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on November 21, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/NHLI via Getty Images) /

14. I’m not among those who thinks the front office needs to make a coaching change if the Golden Knights continue to struggle. I still think they could figure it out and this team has been built for Gerard Gallant, so it doesn’t make any sense to even consider a change right now. Plus, who is out there that would be better?

15. What I think this team needs is a trade and it makes sense to wait until the Trade Deadline. They are set to have just over $5 million in cap space come Feb, 24 and they really do need to make a move to boost the secondary scoring. This front office have been aggressive when making moves to improve the team, and I believe they will be again.

16. Speaking of trades, and I’ve said this before, I would trade Cody Eakin at the Trade Deadline. He’s due to become a UFA in the summer and, although he’s found some offensive production in the last few games, he isn’t the same player he was last year and by trading him you would create some more cap space.

17. There is no doubt, in my mind at least, that the Vegas Golden Knights need a third line left wing. Brandon Pirri recorded one goal in 11 games and I think he’s blown his chance in the NHL, while Valentin Zykov was hardly impressive before being given a 20-game suspension for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. I don’t think either player is what the Golden Knights need.

DETROIT, MI – FEBRUARY 17: Detroit Red Wings forward Thomas Vanek, of Austria, (26) gets position in front of Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart (79) during a regular season NHL hockey game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings on February 17, 2019. at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Scott Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

18. Thomas Vanek is still a free agent. Could he be an option? He may be willing to take a cheaper deal given that he’s out of work, plus he’s good for 15-20 points down the stretch. He could be a good fit when it comes to a temporary stopgap on that third line.

19. Sticking with players, I do think this should be Deryk Engelland‘s last year as a player. He’s fallen off a cliff in terms of his play, and he’s now been a healthy scratch on a handful of occasions this year. It would make sense for the veteran to step aside with the likes of Nic Hague, Dylan Coghlan and Jake Bischoff ready to make the step up, plus I would be a huge fan of Engelland taking up a front office or coaching role with the franchise.

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