Saying that Nicolas Hague's next contract is big is a massive understatement. Like the man himself, they must figure out if it's worth giving $4 million or more in AAV money to a defensive defenseman.
Yeah, I know that sounds like a weird thing to say. But when you have eight potential starting defensemen on your team, it makes for a good problem. What's more is that Kelly McCrimmon can scout his potential suitors and see the best deal out there.
"It's good to be the king!"Mel Brooks
Yes, it is, Mel. It certainly is.
While teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens line up like they're waiting at the kissing booth for Sydney Sweeney, some positives are coming from this. For one, you can make way for Kaedan Korczak. The 24-year-old carries a cap hit of $825,000, making him a cheap replacement.
But that's not the only cap-related thing that will be the focus. It also concerns two big stars on the Golden Knights. In fact, both scoring leaders in the goals and assists departments. What do I mean by this? Well, let's dive into the cap (not circumvent it too hard) and see where the team stands.
How trading Nicolas Hague impacts the Golden Knights
First, your main focus is Jack Eichel's extension. He's eligible for a contract extension on July 1st and Kelly McCrimmon hasn't been shy about getting a deal done. The megastar is expected to surpass his current $10 million cap hit.
ScotiaStats might have Hague projected for a three-year deal worth roughly $3.7 million AAV. However, that number could jump up, eating into the current projected cap space of $32.625 million (according to PuckPedia) for 2026. Put two and two together and that makes less room to pay your megastar.
There's also the Pavel Dorofeyev problem. He's also a free agent in 2026, only he's of the restricted variety. Still, fans can expect a massive pay bump from his current $1.835 million cap hit. You can't really make that happen with an additional $4 million on the books, can you?
That's why it makes sense to offload the impending contract of Hague. Even if Alex Pietrangelo does go on LTIR, there's still the long-term effects to account for. Thus, we have trade discussions about our giant blue line friend.
The good news about potentially trading Hague? Lots of suitors
As mentioned, teams are lining up for the services of a pure defensive monolith. We're talking about Pittsburgh and Montreal here. But other teams could jump into the fray, including the Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings. These teams are looking to break their mini-curses and get over the hump.
That's where the 26-year-old comes in. He comes in and blocks shots. He comes in and hits people. Teams like the Red Wings and Hurricanes would love a hard-hitting mammoth (not from Utah) who adds size to their blue lines.
What's more is that these teams carry plenty of cap space to work with. Take your pick from the litter, whether it's Pittsburgh ($24,500,237) or Philadelphia ($18,991,905). Heck, even throw Buffalo ($23,206,986) in the mix. There's plenty of room at this trade party.
The point? McCrimmon has plenty of leeway with the future cap hit. Teams can take the load off his shoulders and bear the cost for themselves. With your defenseman position set and your top two scoring forwards needing big paydays, it feels like everything's going as planned. Don't you love it when you feel like you're on the A-Team?