The Vegas Golden Knights will make a trade this offseason to further increase their chances of returning to the Stanley Cup Final in 2025 after burning out in the 2024 NHL Playoffs. Luckily for Vegas, they have a great hockey team, but more is needed following trades for Noah Hanifin, Tomas Hertl, and Anthony Mantha, with the former two locked in for the rest of the decade.
Mantha may or may not return, but even if the Knights re-signed him to an extension, we know that this trio wasn’t enough to trek further than the first round of the playoffs. That said, general manager Kelly McCrimmon could be set to make yet another big trade, but one that would involve moving an important asset elsewhere.
But don’t worry too much, as the overall core of this team isn’t going anywhere, or at least that appears to be the case if we know McCrimmon. This would leave future assets, mainly draft picks. But would McCrimmon really trade away a 2024 first-round pick, the only first-rounder he has at the moment between now and 2027?
Not out of the question for Golden Knights to trade another first-rounder
Overall, it would be an unexpected move, given the lack of early-round picks the organization already has. But McCrimmon could easily entice a team like the Anaheim Ducks or the Columbus Blue Jackets, two franchises that should be looking to receive as many draft picks as they can get their hands on at the moment. And two organizations that do have talented players to give.
Sure, it may come as a shocker if McCrimmon did move this pick, as it would leave him with just two selections over the next three seasons in the NHL Draft’s first two rounds. And it would once again keep the Knights from taking a player who could give them more talent in the prospect pool, something they need to start replenishing as they can’t keep trading future assets for current talent forever.
McCrimmon should know this, so it would be unexpected to move yet another early draft pick. But if the right ‘buyer’ came along and someone who could provide even more depth scoring served as the compensation, it would be a logical move for a team that still has more than a few years of enjoying elite status in the NHL.