Right now, the Vegas Golden Knights are in dire straits. They've been on the losing side of things since December, slipping out of first place in the Pacific Division. That's not good enough for Las Vegas, who wants to see another Stanley Cup party at Toshiba Plaza.
One can look at Vegas's current situation and say, "Hey! We just need to get some guys healthy so we can go on another Stanley Cup run!" While that might be true in some aspects, that's not how Kelly McCrimmon operates a hockey team.
You see, McCrimmon is all about the home run trade or two. He got Tomas Hertl for bumper work and watched the power play explode to franchise-record levels. He got Mitch Marner and watched the NHL universe explode in a fit of anger. He even got Jack Eichel and watched the Golden Knights fulfill a six-year promise with a Stanley Cup.
All of this should amount to experts and opposing general managers keeping a close eye on McCrimmon. What, did you think that the new LTIR rules would affect the Golden Knights in any way? Not if McCrimmon has anything to say about it.
After all, he's in the business of winning now. It doesn't matter if it comes at the expense of highly-touted prospects or draft picks. Winners do whatever it takes to win and that's what the Golden Knights want to do. With that, these three names can help McCrimmon and the Golden Knights achieve that goal.
1.) Kiefer Sherwood
Some Vegas Golden Knights fans have clamored for Kelly McCrimmon to pick up the Vancouver Canucks forward. There's good reason behind that: Sherwood has 16 goals this season and he hits people (184 hits this season). That's keeping up a flaccid Canucks attack that lost Quinn Hughes.
But that's not all. He's cheap ($1.5 million cap hit) and has 2.9 more goals than his expected total, along with a High Danger xGoals total of 5.89. Golden Knights fans will love having Sherwood on the lower lines, specifically at the underachieving wing position.
2.) Ramsus Andersson
This is the obvious pick, having been discussed for over a year. The trade nearly happened during the summer and talks have been rumored to pick up yet again. Considering that Andersson is open to the idea of coming to Vegas, it makes perfect sense for McCrimmon to nab him.
That's especially true with the blue line decimated by injuries. You don't have Brayden McNabb or Shea Theodore at the moment and need someone to add more shot-blocking power. Considering that Andersson does this (74 this season) and more, he'll be a welcome addition for Golden Knights fans straight from the get-go.
3.) Nicholas Robertson
With the Toronto Maple Leafs outside of the playoff picture, why not give it a go on a 24-year-old winger? Robertson and the Maple Leafs have struggled to gain traction on a long-term deal over the past year and he could be another young winger for Vegas to pick up.
Of course, this isn't as likely as taking up Sherwood or Andersson since both are proven commodities. Still, it doesn't hurt to get younger for the long term. That's especially true with aging pieces not performing up to par.