Imagine this scenario, dear reader. You're Reilly Smith and you're settled into your Las Vegas home. You've had it for quite some time and you're enjoying the beautiful summer. Suddenly, you've experienced a sad event: you're not returning to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Now, Smith isn't one to make a fuss about his kid's peewee hockey. No, he's a man of integrity who still serves a purpose. He didn't score his 13 goals and 27 assists this past season for nothing, you know.
But let's say the Golden Knights don't ink an extension with him. You're losing a special teams star who's viable as a middle-of-the-lineup forward. Sure, he might be 34 years old and winding his career down. However, you'd lose a solid contributor on the lower units.
Guess what, my friend? I have some good news for you. Three viable replacements can take his spot. It might not mean as much, considering the "Misfit" mystique isn't there. But you need forward depth and you need it now.
Some of these players are on the younger side. That's perfectly fine for a team that needs a youth injection quickly. Others? Well, they might be older. But that doesn't make them viable.
1.) Brad Marchand
One look at Brad Marchand would suggest that he's not a viable fit. He's 5'9" and is 37 years old. However, the legendary Boston Bruins star did score 23 goals and 28 assists this past season. Add five goals and eight assists on the power play and you have an instant sparkplug.
But that's not all. Marchand is also solid on the penalty kill, carrying the same goal-scoring threat that Reilly Smith has. He has 36 shorthanded goals in his career alone, tied for eighth all-time.
Plus, wouldn't you want someone to annoy your rivals? Wouldn't it be funny to see the former Bruin nibble at your opponent's kneecaps? The Golden Knights could use someone with a slight edge and the Halifax native could provide that.
2.) Andrei Kuzmenko
The Russian forward spent his offseason in a peaceful little town known as Seoul. But this past season has been anything but for him.
This season, Kuzmenko was a solid contributor who bounced around the NHL (three teams this season!). He scored 11 goals and 26 assists, with four goals and nine assists coming on the power play.
If you want to replace Smith with more skating ability and a scorer's presence, look no further, my friend. The 29-year-old has a penchant for finding loose pucks around the net, after all.
He might be slightly more expensive than the Misfit (ScotiaStats projects him with a three-year deal worth roughly $5 million AAV). But it's worth taking him on if McCrimmon can get a sweetheart deal for him to play in Sin City.
3.) Jack Quinn
Now this one's a bit of a curveball. You see, Quinn is a restricted free agent with the Buffalo Sabres. He's projected to earn a three-year, $3 million AAV deal for his next contract. The problem?
There have been major concerns about his attitude. As stated here, he grew jealous of seeing teammates such as Zach Benson and Jiri Kulich get better line placements. Yes, I get that a player like Alexander Holtz will be brought up in this situation.
However! One can't forget that Jack Eichel came from the same franchise. What happened to him? Well, he scored 28 goals and 94 assists this past season. Oh, and he has a Stanley Cup to his name.
Mind you, it'll be tough for Quinn to reach those numbers (he scored 15 goals and 24 assists this past season). Think of it like the Colorado Rockies trying to win a baseball game. However, he can provide a similar special teams presence to Smith if given the opportunity.