The Vegas Golden Knights are a team that doesn't shy away from making a trade. They've done this with a countless array of prospects, whether it's David Edstrom, Zach Dean, or Nick Suzuki. Sometimes, these deals work out just fine, i.e., Erik Brannstrom. Others, well, they carry a team the way that Suzuki has.
Oh well. You can't win them all.
But that also rings true with players. Fans will remember infamous trades involving Alex Tuch, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Max Pacioretty. They'll remember these trades working out well for the Golden Knights, leading to a Stanley Cup. Others have generated so much controversy and have divided the fan base to astronomical levels.
And guess what? That will come up again during this offseason! The Golden Knights will have roughly $13-$14 million in cap space to work with (assuming that Alex Pietrangelo goes on season-ending LTIR again) and have looming contract extensions. Think of Pavel Dorofeyev and Rasmus Andersson as the players needing an extension.
With that comes three Golden Knights on the chopping block. There are countless reasons for these players being tradable, whether it's by becoming virtually useless or by making cap space for these incoming extensions. Let's chop these three players to bits and see what makes them compelling targets.
1.) Adin Hill
This is the obvious one. The sudden uprising of Carter Hart, combined with a stacked goaltending prospect room and a $6.25 million AAV contract, puts the former Stanley Cup hero on the hot seat.
After all, you have looming contract extensions that take precedence within the organization. Pavel Dorofeyev and Rasmus Andersson are expected to be part of the long-term plans for the Golden Knights. So what better way to fix this than by dumping Hill's salary?
While some obstacles remain with the fallen goaltender such as his 10-team no-trade list, that shouldn't stop McCrimmon from dealing Hill. That's especially true if there's a team with plenty of cap space, such as the Chicago Blackhawks.
2.) Tomas Hertl
Last summer, rumors swirled that Tomas Hertl was on the chopping block with teams like the Carolina Hurricanes showing interest. While Kelly McCrimmon reassured the Czech Olympian that he wasn't going anywhere, that dynamic has shifted dramatically.
Dorofeyev has taken the reins as the go-to sniper for the Golden Knights, leading the power play. A franchise-record 20 goals on the unit and a disposable bumper player makes this much easier to do. Therefore, don't be surprised if Hertl gets dealt during the summer.
3.) Keegan Kolesar
While Kolesar might not have too much value for other teams, trading his contract is much easier than people realize. $2.5 million AAV and Kolesar not having a no-trade clause attached will make life much easier in a bigger deal.
Think back to the Andersson deal and Zach Whitecloud. The defenseman's $2.75 million AAV contract and a lack of a no-trade clause made him an obvious trade target. Expect the same with Kolesar, only with the Golden Knights looking to shed more salary for the incoming extension(s).
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