One thing that stood out with the Vegas Golden Knights was the lack of top-six depth. They had big names like Mark Stone (19 goals and 48 assists) and Jack Eichel (28 goals and 66 assists), sure. However, their depth was exposed in the second round against the Edmonton Oilers.
Watching Tomas Hertl go scoreless in the second round was painful enough. But Ivan Barbashev, too? Now that hurts. When you needed your best guys to, well, be your best guys, they were already thinking about the golf course.
Therefore, it's time to search for another solid top-six player. After all, Eichel can't do all the heavy lifting by himself. That would lead to a lower-body injury.
But in all seriousness, Kelly McCrimmon should explore adding another goal scorer. It doesn't matter if it comes via free agency or trade. One thing's for certain: He needs a big name to come in and add scoring depth. Otherwise, you're seeing Evander Kane and the Oilers fanbase "party boy" around you for years to come.
That's a sight nobody wants to see. However, one player could be a sight for sore eyes for the beleaguered team. Currently, he's on a Stanley Cup run with another team, trying to keep Connor Hellebuyck alive like Bernie from Weekend At Bernie's. Who's the mystery man that can save the day?
The Vegas Golden Knights should look at Nikolaj Ehlers
Upon first glance, some things about Ehlers might rub Golden Knights fans the wrong way. For one, he has a decorated injury history, with his most recent mishap coming in a collision with a referee on April 12. He suffered a right foot injury in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks, leaving him sidelined until Game 6 of the first round.
However, that doesn't mean he isn't valuable. The Danish winger scored 24 goals and 39 assists this season. He also scored five game-winning goals and was extremely valuable to the Winnipeg Jets' league-best power play (28.3%). The 29-year-old scored six goals and 16 assists on the unit, adding a scoring bite to the President's Trophy winners.
That could prove incredibly valuable for Jack Eichel and the Golden Knights. For one, they've spent the entire season looking for an additional top-six guy to take the reins. While names like Brett Howden (23 goals and 17 assists) and Victor Olofsson (15 goals and 14 assists) have spent time in the group, they haven't found their stride.
What can Ehlers do for the Golden Knights?
That's where Ehlers comes in. He's proven himself worthy in Winnipeg's top-six group, providing timely scoring for the league's third-best attack (3.35 goals per game). The winger is an excellent finisher and plays on either wing. Think of Victor Olofsson, but better.
The one concern (aside from injury history) is the potential price tag. Is Kelly McCrimmon willing to sign a player north of $6 million AAV, given the team's salary cap situation? That could be mitigated with a move or two (looking at you, Nicolas Hague).
Still, this could be the splash move McCrimmon needs to make for the Golden Knights to return to the Stanley Cup Final. Fans can think of Alex Pietrangelo as a perfect example of this. When he was signed to a seven-year, $8.8 million AAV deal in 2020, Vegas needed an elite defenseman on the top pairing. Fans know what happened a few years later.