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Vegas Golden Knights: On a wing and a prayer

By Andrew Steele-Davis

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 07: Josh Anderson #77 of the Columbus Blue Jackets in action during the third period of the NHL game against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on November 07, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The Blue Jackets defeated the Coyotes 2-1. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 07: Josh Anderson #77 of the Columbus Blue Jackets in action during the third period of the NHL game against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on November 07, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The Blue Jackets defeated the Coyotes 2-1. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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We’re less than an hour away until the Trade Deadline comes to a close, and we’re still waiting on news from the Vegas Golden Knights.

While it has been a manic day around the NHL, the Vegas Golden Knights have yet to make a move today.

Erik Gustafsson, who was a reported target of the Knights, has been traded to the Calgary Flames from the Chicago Blackhawks.

It has also been suggested that Vegas could be interested in Tyson Barrie, although it is believed that the Toronto Maple Leafs, which would be an overpayment in my opinion.

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So, it remains to be seen what the Golden Knights can pull out of the hat when it comes to their desire to acquire a puck-moving defenseman.

However, as I have mentioned before, they should also be scrambling to add some secondary scoring before 12:00 p.m. PT.

We ran through the pros and cons of pulling the trigger on a blockbuster trade for San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton, and you can read that piece here.

Vegas needs a third-line wing, though, and there are still some options available to them on the market.

With both Alex Tuch and Cody Glass down with injury and with Brandon Pirri and Valentin Zykov having failed to impress in the NHL this year, the Golden Knights lack forward depth.

In order to embark on a deep postseason run, you need contributions from up and down your lineup and the top-six forward unit carries far too much of the load for the Knights.

If the Knights have serious aspirations of making a real run at the Stanley Cup this year, they should make a last minute run at acquiring some secondary scoring help.

There are options out there including Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Donato, who carries a cap hit of $1.9 million.

Pavel Buchnevich of the New York Rangers could provide depth scoring, although his cap hit of $3.25 million would give the Knights some cap headaches.

What about Josh Anderson? The Columbus Blue Jackets wing is a big body who can also chip in with offense, while his cap hit of $1.85 million is more than manageable for Vegas.

On a day where the Edmonton Oilers have strengthened by trading for Tyler Ennis and Andreas Athanasiou, the Golden Knights need to follow suite.

And, while they need a puck-moving defenseman, they have recently acquired Alec Martinez so they have depth on the blueline.

Golden Knights should trade for Joe Thornton. dark. Next

So, the main priority for the Vegas Golden Knights in the final minutes of the Trade Deadline should be to add an offensive punch to their lineup and spark their secondary scoring into life.

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