3 dream trades for the Vegas Golden Knights in 2024-25

Surprise! Linus Ullmark comes to the Golden Knights

The Ottawa Senators want to take the next step and compete in the Atlantic Division. They made a big move this summer by acquiring Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins. The deal solidifies their goaltending situation, leaving them with enough scoring options and netminders to contend.

But what happens if the Senators aren't contending? They've been a regular NHL laughingstock in recent years, marred by the inept ownership of the late Eugene Melnyk. It wouldn't be surprising to see Ottawa lagging; the Atlantic Division is tough, consisting of contenders like the Maple Leafs and defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers.

The Senators would have other big cap hits to move in this scenario, including Claude Giroux ($6.5 million) and Anton Forsberg ($2.75 million). Considering Ottawa hasn't been good historically, this would make sense for them to make way for younger players. So why Brayden McNabb instead of Shea Theodore in this situation?

If you noticed in the Mitch Marner trade, Theodore's name was on there. Marner's cap hit is $10.9 million this season, which would require financial gymnastics from McCrimmon. However, this doesn't take as much, for Ullmark is only a $5 million cap hit. Theodore brings plenty of offensive acumen to the Golden Knights and is younger, making him valuable to Vegas. Therefore, McNabb would be an expendable player in a defenseman surplus.

Granted, there are some caveats with this, starting with the proposed scenario. This banks on the Senators not contending, which might not happen. The team has good goal-scorers, including Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk. Even in a challenging Atlantic Division, they can make noise and surpass a rival if one of them collapses. Other issues such as a 15-team no-trade list could hinder a deal. However, the plausibility is there, especially since the Golden Knights were involved in trade talks before Ullmark left Boston.