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Vegas Golden Knights should trade for Sami Vatanen

By Dave Stevenson

MONTREAL, QC - NOVEMBER 28: Sami Vatanen (45) of the New Jersey Devils waits for play to begin during the first period of the NHL game between the New Jersey Devils and the Montreal Canadiens on November 28, 2019, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - NOVEMBER 28: Sami Vatanen (45) of the New Jersey Devils waits for play to begin during the first period of the NHL game between the New Jersey Devils and the Montreal Canadiens on November 28, 2019, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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With the New Jersey Devils having a disappointing season, the Vegas Golden Knights need to give them a call about defenseman Sami Vatanen.

It’s safe to say the New Jersey Devils have been one of the NHL’s most disappointing teams. The Vegas Golden Knights got to see firsthand on Tuesday, as the Knights won 4-3 despite not playing their best game. One name the Knights should keep a very close eye on is defenseman Sami Vatanen.

Though 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall would be an impressive addition to any roster, Vegas doesn’t need much help as far as forwards. That says much more about the Knights’ top-six forwards than it says about Hall. Rather, their biggest need is on their blueline.

Vegas doesn’t get much offense from their defense, as they have just 43 points as a group. Guess which other team has 43 points combined from their defensemen? The lowly Detroit Red Wings, who are on pace to challenge the 2016-17 Colorado Avalanche for the lowest full-season point total of the salary cap era.

John Carlson of the Washington Capitals, the top-scoring defenseman in the NHL as of Dec. 5, has 42 points by himself. Just think about that for a second. One defenseman is nearly outproducing the Golden Knights blueline by himself.

Unfortunately, the rental market doesn’t provide many options. Tony DeAngelo of the New York Rangers could be a fascinating target if the Rangers decide to trade him, but he’s due a significant raise this summer as an RFA. Vatanen is a more realistic target.

What Vatanen Brings To The Table

Vatanen will not soon be confused with Brent Burns or Carlson, but he’s a consistently productive defenseman.

Points per game

  • 2015-16: 0.54
  • 2016-17: 0.34
  • 2017-18: 0.44
  • 2018-19: 0.34
  • 2019-20: 0.43*

*Through 23 games

He’s also fairly durable. While Vatanen missed 32 games in 2018-19 and has missed four so far this season, he played at least 65 games in four straight seasons from 2014-15 to 2017-18 and played in at least 70 in each season from 2015-16 to 2017-18.

Vatanen can play during all situations and has had success on the power play in the past. That would help ease the pressure on guys like Nate Schmidt and Shea Theodore. Vatanen would fit in well on either of the Knights’ top two pairings.

His 10 points so far this season might not seem impressive, but keep two things in mind. First of all, Vatanen’s 10 points would be third among Golden Knights defensemen, trailing Shea Theodore and Nate Schmidt, who have 12 and 11, respectively. Also, the Devils rank 29th in the NHL in goals scored while Vegas ranks 10th. A change of scenery could give Vatanen a much-needed spark.

Addressing Concerns

Now, there are two concerns with Vatanen, but I don’t think either should be a significant issue. The first issue is he’s right-handed. Currently, Vegas has Schmidt and Theodore playing on the right side. However, adding Vatanen could allow Theodore to go back to the left side.

The second concern is a more serious one. What would it take to get Vatanen? This is an issue with multiple layers. The first is how much it would cost to trade for Vatanen. Justin Emerson of The Las Vegas Sun points out similar trades netted the selling team a second-round pick and a third-round pick. That’s pretty reasonable.

Now, the second layer is who it could cost the Golden Knights. Vatanen’s cap hit is $4.875 million. The Golden Knights, barring an LTIR situation, can’t afford that even if they trade for him at the deadline. CapFriendly gives Vegas roughly $2.45 million of deadline cap space. If the Devils retain half of Vatanen’s salary, the Knights would just barely be below the cap ceiling.

One thing the Golden Knights could do is trade Cody Eakin. Of course, they’ve been trying to do that for a while now and haven’t found any takers. General Manager George McPhee might have to get creative to get his $3.85 million cap hit off the books. Nick Holden ($2.2 million cap hit) could be another option.

Trading for Vatanen could be tricky, but the Golden Knights would be wise to explore it. He would help solve a lot of their defensive issues and would likely come at a pretty reasonable price.

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