A couple of former Golden Knights find homes with Original Six teams

The Vegas Golden Knights might've signed Rasmus Andersson to a seven-year deal worth $8.5 million AAV. But they also lost some players to free agency on Wednesday. It started with Colton Sissons going to Mitch Marner's old stomping grounds in the Toronto Maple Leafs for two years and $4.25 million AAV.

But wait! There's more!

Cole Smith also went to an Original Six team as he gets ready to sing Chelsea Dagger with Chicago Blackhawks fans. The deal is for three years for $3 million AAV.

The Golden Knights will lose plenty of solid defensive play from these two forwards. Sissons was apt at taking faceoffs, posting a face-off win percentage of 56.5% last season. He's also an excellent penalty killer, using his face-off prowess and looming stick to take away space.

As for Smith? Well, he had a penchant for going to the penalty box, amassing 24 penalty minutes during the Stanley Cup Final run. However, he also registered 100 hits during said playoff run, providing lower-line grit for the Golden Knights.

With the defensemen locked up, it's time to lock up some lower-line forwards. The Golden Knights still have Alex Pietrangelo's season-ending LTIR cap hit of $8.8 million to factor in, which will offer some space for a couple of lower-line players.

Still, you can't count out Kelly McCrimmon to clear up some cap space in this instance. One name everyone keeps looking at is—say it with me, class—Adin Hill. The oft-injured netminder cratered last season, leaving people to wonder if he's worth keeping around.

Names like Tomas Hertl have also been thrown around, leaving plenty of options to restructure the roster. It's something that makes McCrimmon dangerous in such a spot. Part of the strategy involves letting players like Cole Smith and Colton Sissons go.

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