Ah, tough decisions. We've all had them in our lifetimes, picking the lesser of two evils in every facet of daily life. It could be what you're wearing out in public (don't forget your pants) or where you go to eat with your significant other.
"Where do you want to go, babe?"
"I don't know, you pick."
Yeah, it can be challenging. Chinese food does sound good, though.
Anyway, the Vegas Golden Knights are no different. Kelly McCrimmon and company face plenty of tough choices this offseason. That includes Nicolas Hague and his whereabouts, along with who to sign in free agency.
These decisions are clichéd like every election cycle: this year is the most significant in franchise history. But this time, it carries more meaning.
Why? Because the Pacific Division got tougher. Edmonton has all the offense in the world and teams like the Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames are ready to take the next step. Therefore, it's imperative that McCrimmon cooks up a lively meal from his front office kitchen.
On that note, there lie three difficult decisions the general manager must make. These involve keeping guys around longer and finding guys to move for more cap space. After all, there's nothing the Golden Knights love more than keeping the Stanley Cup contention window open.
1.) Which pending free agents should be kept (if any)?
This is one of the more underrated issues for the Golden Knights. They're looking to increase cap space (currently $9.615 million) and want to make a trade or two. The problem is that they have four unrestricted free agents who are forwards.
Who do you keep among the quartet? Reilly Smith and his 13 goals and 27 assists? Victor Olofsson, who's expecting a pay bump? Tanner Pearson, who's projected to somehow earn less than $1 million... again?
That's not even mentioning the Nicolas Hague in the room. He's a restricted free agent this offseason and will anticipate a bigger payday. Is trading him enough to clear cap space for a big move?
Speaking of which...
2.) Who do you sign to the Golden Knights in free agency?
Of course, the biggest fish in the ocean is Mitch Marner. Almost everyone is in on the premier winger and would want his 102-point performance from this past season.
But is that the move Kelly McCrimmon wants to make? Does he go after a cheaper top-six option like Nikolaj Ehlers? Is Brad Marchand's estimated three-year contract that he covets worth it after the harsh lesson learned from Jonathan Marchessault?
Your divisional rivals are ramping up and leaving you with less breathing room. Nailing free agency starts with finding the perfect fit and seeing who's worth their price tag.
3.) Are you trading a forward to make more cap space?
Let's jump back to the cap space conversation for a second. The big name for the defensemen side of things is Hague, of course. He's already getting heavy interest from teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens.
However, some forwards are getting consideration themselves. Ivan Barbashev has been featured on some offseason trade boards. There's also the other Nicolas: Nicolas Roy.
McCrimmon will walk a fine line between who he keeps in his forward group this offseason. Risking depth to make cap room could either help him with a big name (think Marner) or leave the Golden Knights in the same spot as they were in the postseason. All I know is William Karlsson better not be involved.