Is Vegas loyal to its best players?

Why the Vegas Golden Knights made the right decision

Here's one thing to consider if you're a Vegas Golden Knights fan. Marc-Andre Fleury, Reilly Smith, and Jonathan Marchessault all found different teams to play for, whether it was via trade or free agency. But there's one common denominator among the three franchise cornerstones: They were older than 30 years old when they went to said teams.

This offseason, the Golden Knights didn't make any splashy free agent signing, opting to trade for a winger with solid upside. They also have a great forward who made strides with 13 goals in 47 games last season. The in-house options for Vegas might not be perfect. However, they're cheaper and will set up bigger moves down the road. Plus, they'll perform well with plenty of promise.

Kelly McCrimmon talks about players performing at their contract levels and reaching a point of outperforming their deals. Offering a five-year deal to a player who's already seeing diminishing returns defensively doesn't bode well for a team, especially when the offensive side will follow. It's a tough place to be for a franchise, especially in the salary cap era. However, the NHL is a business, as Marchessault will attest.

"There's definitely no loyalty but at the same time you are there to win. I don't mind that mindset. "

- Jonathan Marchessault