3 free agents the Vegas Golden Knights can steal from their Pacific Division rivals
Sometimes, it's best to look inward within the division for solutions. Here are three pending free agents from the Pacific Division that can help the Vegas Golden Knights.
Free agency can be a crapshoot for many teams (get it? Because Las Vegas). Some teams are looking for new fits to come and fill in positional voids left by other players. Others are depth pieces that bolster the position outright, making the team much more potent. Of course, this isn't just related to hockey and the Vegas Golden Knights. This is a universal fact that spans every sector within sports. Whether it's football or baseball, teams want that one sweet impact piece that can get them a shiny championship.
With the offseason coming right after the Stanley Cup playoffs, there are the usual bits of speculation about who goes where. How does this piece fit in? Where can fans see this player play in this position? It's a mind-boggling practice filled with guesses that take fans on a wild fantasy trip. Vegas is no different, with numerous question marks to fill up. The endless array of predictions and guesswork makes the art even more intriguing.
So why not look inward to their division for some answers? There are plenty of free agents that can help the cause for the Golden Knights next season. Some of these players can even be acquired cheaply, which is excellent news for the salary cap-restricted team. Granted, there won't be Connor McDavid or Quinn Hughes on the board. But solid contributors await in free agency.
So who would be the ideal free agents for Vegas to acquire? What would the reasoning be for said pick-ups? Raiding the division for the best available players sounds like the perfect way to exact your revenge, especially after coming short this season. Here's a look at the three pending free agents the Golden Knights should poach from within their division.
Elias Lindholm, C, Vancouver Canucks
Elias Lindholm had a down year from his 2022-23 campaign this season, scoring 15 goals and 29 assists. The Swedish star was traded from the Calgary Flames to the Vancouver Canucks during the season, giving life to Vancouver's forward position. Now, his team is on the cusp of the Western Conference Finals, where Pete DeBoer and the Dallas Stars await.
But let's examine why Lindholm would be a nice piece from free agency for the Vegas Golden Knights. For one, he's a versatile forward that can play on any line. His flexibility would allow Bruce Cassidy the ability to make the necessary adjustments, giving Vegas a good advantage. The center is also a face-off merchant, winning off the draw 53.5% during his career.
One bonus of acquiring the Swedish star is he stays relatively healthy, playing 818 games during his 10 seasons in the NHL. Plus, having good special teams acumen makes him a nice fit for Bruce Cassidy, where he can be deployed in any situation. Add incredible defensive skills that make him a regular candidate for the Selke Trophy and... Boom! You have a good free agency target that could serve as a fallback plan should the original plans go awry.
Warren Foegele, LW, Edmonton Oilers
Big bodies are heavily appreciated in Bruce Cassidy's system. Whether they can block shots at will or lay out punishing hits, such players can make a difference for a team with lots of size. That's what Warren Foegele would bring to the Vegas Golden Knights. Standing at 6'2" and weighing 198 lbs., the Markham native can lay out anybody.
How so? He's amassed 567 hits during his seven-year career. His ability to use his body in any facet makes him a good talent for any team, including when he has the puck. That's why he's tough to steal the puck from, for he can use his frame to prevent turnovers. However, he does tend to go on cold streaks, as made evident by him not having any points in his last nine games.
This season, Foegele was due $2.75 million from Edmonton, so he should receive a deal within that vicinity. That should bode well for the Golden Knights, who will look to replace William Carrier and Michael Amadio with another big body at a reasonable price. Forward depth at a low cap hit is always appreciated, which is where the Markham native falls.
Dakota Joshua, LW, Vancouver Canucks
Another sizable winger that the Vegas Golden Knights can poach is Dakota Joshua. The Vancouver Canucks forward stands at 6'3" and weighs 206 lbs., where he'd potentially add more size to a team that's already big. But hey, too much size is never a bad thing, right? That's what he'd bring to the table for a big team.
Joshua would be more of a checking line player for Vegas, considering he doesn't have the offensive chops to fit on the higher lines. The native of Dearborn, Michigan, has made a living off of hitting people, amassing 467 hits in the past two seasons. Such physicality would make him a good fit with players like Paul Cotter and Keegan Kolesar, adding meat to the bottom lines.
The best part is Joshua was owed $825,000 this season and shouldn't take too much cap space next season. Just like with Warren Foegele, this is a player that can be brought in at a cheap price, saving the Golden Knights some valuable cap space. While he'd simply be a role player for Bruce Cassidy, he could also be a replacement for Kolesar, who's in the last year of his current deal.
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