No team has had a more interesting offseason than the Vegas Golden Knights. They've lost a wave of forwards, including a former Conn Smythe winner, to free agency. There are also rumors of Mitch Marner being traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs to Vegas, giving them a top-line option for Jack Eichel. Among the names involved is Shea Theodore, a defenseman who's owed $5.2 million this season.
He's also in the last year of his current contract, where the Golden Knights aren't likely to re-sign him. But there's his fellow defender who could become a trade target. His name? Brayden McNabb, who's also in the last year of his current deal. He's also a cap hit of $2.85 million this season, which would open up some room for Vegas.
Couple that with a surplus of defensemen and the Golden Knights might need to make a move. There are names like Ben Hutton waiting for an opportunity who are cheaper. For example, Hutton has a cap hit of $975,000, which would save Vegas between $1.875 million and $4.225 million if Theodore or McNabb were traded. If they were both gone? $6.1 million would be saved, which would open some room for the Golden Knights.
But let's pivot back to McNabb for a second. He's 33 years old and doesn't have the offensive acumen that Theodore has. Although he's built a reputation for scoring clutch goals, the former 66th-overall draft pick is primarily a defender who specializes in the forecheck. That could be good for Stanley Cup teams needing bite on the blue line, especially at a cheaper price than Theodore. Here are three teams that could potentially be destinations.
Could Brayden McNabb be part of the deal that sends Mitch Marner from the Maple Leafs to the Vega Golden Knights?
In a previous post, there was the possibility of trading Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb to the Maple Leafs for Mitch Marner. Considering Toronto could use a spare blue liner or two (especially if they can move the puck), it makes sense to try for one of those defenders or both. The Vegas Golden Knights get their top-line player in Marner, pairing him with Eichel.
But there's more to the situation than it appears. Like Vegas, Toronto is also in a salary cap crunch. Without LTIR, they have $1,275,333 in cap space, leaving little wiggle room for a Marner extension. There's also both Theodore and McNabb being one-year rentals unless they're re-signed. That would be a wasted trade on the surface for Toronto, especially if they're looking to end a decades-long drought.
Still, a trade would benefit the Golden Knights in that they wouldn't mind taking at least a year on the superstar. Kelly McCrimmon can make other teams retain salary, which would likely involve a third team in this scenario. It worked with Noah Hanifin and it would work here. The only caveat for Vegas would be that the "Core Four" member would need an extension. Would McCrimmon bite on this?