Losing all your unrestricted free agents during the summer is never a good time for any NHL team. Six players plus a G6 free agent left the team, leaving the Vegas Golden Knights with a massive void. What's a team to do with key stars like Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson leaving town?
It's frustrating for the teams and their fans, where the expectation is to find the next replacement. Yet, the team stood pat and only signed names like Victor Olofsson and Ilya Samsonov to one-year "prove it" deals. It's not a bad thing, per se. It's something that fans didn't expect from a team with a huge trade deadline.
One effect of this is it has other front offices on the edge of their seats. They have numerous questions and predictions about what they'll do next.
"Does Kelly McCrimmon have a big trade up his sleeve?"
While such speculation has other NHL teams watching intently, next summer offers a similar scenario. Granted, there are no prominent names like Jonathan Marchessault. However, some players deserve to return to the team. Names like Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb will be considered. Even Brett Howden will be looked at. But here's one underrated name who should be considered for a new deal.
Keegan Kolesar should be considered to re-sign with the Vegas Golden Knights
There are some good reasons why the Vegas Golden Knights should consider giving Keegan Kolesar a new deal. One, he won't hurt the salary cap too much. Currently, he carries a cap hit of $1.4 million, which should go slightly up for the grinder. But there's more to his story than simply being a solid fourth-line player.
The stats tell the whole story, too. Kolesar was fourth in the NHL in hits last season with 276. He's the main focus of a physical fourth-line, where he lays out opponents with bone-breaking checks. The native of Brandon, Manitoba, is also consistently on the ice, playing 230 games in three seasons. WIth the team dealing with an array of injuries during that span, he's been the one constant through that brutal wave
During that span, he's scored 23 goals and 37 assists, including a 17-assist campaign in 2021-22. On top of being a physical body, Keegan Kolesar has shown he's an underrated playmaker. By facilitating the play and finding prime scoring opportunities, he makes smart choices that lead to goals.
If the Golden Knights miss the boat on signing a big name like Leon Draisaitl or Mikko Rantanen next summer, they can bring back some depth pieces and keep their lineup intact. That could include Shea Theodore and Kolesar. That way, the team can run it back with their group as a fallback plan. Heck, there's even a case that Vegas can grab a big name and Kolesar if things go right.