The trade rumor mill is one that constantly churns out different names going to different places. It's where speculation and imagination come to the forefront, giving fans ideas of what their respective team should acquire. Some look good on the surface while others fall flat like a drunken man coming home from the bar.
Whether it's using a site like PuckPedia or turning on the XBOX to make a trade, there are many avenues for a hockey fan to explore. Trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs or Boston Bruins? Sure thing! That way, you can make a team as broken as possible, creating the modern version of the 2002 Detroit Red Wings. Imagine housing a top line of Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, and Connor McDavid. It's like fantasy hockey on steroids.
The Vegas Golden Knights could use one right now, for they've lost a chunk of their starting 12 forwards (and a defenseman) from last season. Add a couple of trades that sent out tenured Golden Knights and the lineup will look drastically different heading into 2024-25. The team is rumored to be exploring a potential trade, although general manager Kelly McCrimmon has stated he's trusting the younger core to step up. Still, names like Linus Ullmark and Patrik Laine loom,
Still, let's have some fun with this and make this a good time for everyone. Who are three superstars that would make the team better? Which moves would strike fear in the hearts of the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks? Let's experiment and think of three dream scenarios that could help the Golden Knights.
The Vegas Golden Knights acquire Mitch Marner from the Maple Leafs in a blockbuster trade
The Vegas Golden Knights have a good problem on their hands. They have a surplus of defensemen heading into Opening Night, giving them more depth than they can handle. That's not a bad thing to deal with; the Golden Knights have dealt with numerous injuries in the past three seasons. That makes positional depth a good thing for a team, where they can call the next man up to replace the injured star.
With Jonathan Marchessault out of the picture, that leaves the Golden Knights searching for a complimentary top-line piece for Jack Eichel. The Maple Leafs have a tough salary cap situation with Mitch Marner in the last year of his contract. So why not go after the All-Star and pair him with Eichel? It would catapult Vegas to being Stanley Cup favorites and atop the Pacific Division.
The one downside to acquiring Marner is the Golden Knights wouldn't get him as a mere rental. He'll be due around $10.9 million (his current cap hit) or slightly more in his next contract, which'll complicate matters. Still, Kelly McCrimmon knows how to have other teams retain salary, making this easier to work.
There's also the defenseman surplus that the Golden Knights have now. Ben Hutton and Kaeden Korczak are two blue-liners who can start for Vegas, leaving the team with cheaper options. Given that Shea Theodore ($5.2 million cap hit) and Brayden McNabb ($2.8 million cap hit) are more expensive and in the last year of their respective deals, why not make room for Hutton and Korczak?
Names such as William Karlsson and Alex Pietrangelo have been floated around in trade proposals. That's understandable, for both are older than 30 and carry a sizeable cap hit. However, Toronto wouldn't want to carry long-term cap hits on their team, especially if they free up space in the process. Therefore, this would be a dream scenario for both teams.