Have you ever grown attached to a certain player on your favorite team? That person has a certain style of play and demeanor that makes them likable. You fall in love with the player and hope they never leave town. The only problem is, well, your favorite team trades them away for draft picks or prospects. Then, you're left screaming to the heavens and dealing with the five stages of grief.
The Vegas Golden Knights have been on both sides of the coin, trading away fan favorites and acquiring new pieces. It doesn't matter if it's sending Marc-Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks or acquiring Jack Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres. Kelly McCrimmon and company aren't afraid of pulling the trigger on a deal.
Of course, the intent is to help the team in the short term, long term, or even both. This is the problem all 30 MLB teams will face in the upcoming week, whether they're selling or buying. It reminds me of the old song from The Clash:
"So you got to let me know...
Should I stay or should I go?"
It's not exclusive to the NHL or MLB, though. All four major sports leagues face this problem, looking at who's the perfect fit and who doesn't make the cut.
What about the Vegas Golden Knights and recent trades involving Logan Thompson and Alexander Holtz?
Last month, the Vegas Golden Knights struck a surprising deal by sending Paul Cotter and a 2025 third-round pick to the New Jersey Devils. Coming to Vegas were young forward Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid. The Golden Knights were getting a former first-round pick with tremendous upside, capable of scoring 30+ goals in a season. As for Schmid, he could fit well in Bruce Cassidy's system.
Then, there's Logan Thompson, who was traded to the Washington Capitals for two third-round picks (one in 2024 and the other in 2025). The move was more of a head-scratcher than the Cotter deal. However, that didn't stop him from signing autographs for fans after the deal was announced. Talk about being an absolute trooper.
But in a sense, it works Thompson was due a hefty payday, which would've ranged between the $4-5 million AAV range. Considering how tight the Golden Knights are on cap space, it makes sense that they didn't want to pay the goaltender. They saw Adin Hill and said, "Hey, we're good here, mate."
Whatever the case, Kelly McCrimmon makes his living off trading for valuable pieces and sending some out of town. Whether it's Logan Thompson going to Washington, D.C., after finishing his autograph session or Alexander Holtz coming to town, Vegas loves making a move. Sometimes, change can be a good thing.