Were the Vegas Golden Knights right in trading Cody Glass?

A decade ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins were the dominant team, winning two Stanley Cups. They had an additional title in 2009, defeating the Detroit Red Wings in seven games. The group was led by some guy named Sidney Crosby and a future Vegas Golden Knights "Misfit" named Marc-Andre Fleury. If you were in the Steel City, times were good.

Now? The landscape has drastically changed, with the most noteworthy news being rumors about Crosby's future whereabouts. There was also Cody Glass being traded to the team from the Nashville Predators along with two draft picks. Out goes Jordan Frasca and in comes a former Golden Knight looking to bounce back with two draft picks.

He's signed through the 2024-25 season and his contract carries an AAV of $2.5 million. He's scored 71 points in 187 career games, a far cry for a sixth-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. He was also Vegas's first-ever draft pick, giving him some credence in the franchise's history.

However, there's good reason to believe the Golden Knights were right about trading him to Nashville beforehand. His production doesn't fit that of a sixth-overall draft pick. Instead, it's that of a bottom-six lineman, where he can give the unit offensive depth. But is that the case? The story has more layers than one would think.

What the Pittsburgh Penguins acquiring Cody Glass means for the Vegas Golden Knights

Let's take a trip down memory lane. On July 17, 2021, the Vegas Golden Knights traded Cody Glass to the Nashville Predators in a three-team trade involving the Philadelphia Flyers. The trade sent Nolan Patrick to the Golden Knights, becoming part of a trend of first-round picks getting traded by the team. It signified the team's desire to move in another direction, where they were looking to rely on their veteran players more.

That's one part of the story. When you're a Stanley Cup-contending team, you want the best players right now. That means trading former first-round picks for superstars like Mark Stone and Jack Eichel. However, this was different. Young players with potential like Patrick came with the notion that he would rebound and become a key piece for a Stanley Cup run. Although that move didn't pan out, it was a no-harm, no-foul move.

There's also the age factor that comes into play. Considering Glass is only 25 years old, he has his whole NHL career ahead of him. The good news for the Pittsburgh Penguins is he has shown signs of life, starting with a solid 2022-23 campaign with Nashville. Here, he scored 14 goals and 21 assists in 72 games. If he can play a full season, he can become a productive forward with multiple roles on a team.

So were the Golden Knights right about Glass? It's hard to say. It's easy to say "yes" because being a sixth-overall pick in the NHL Draft coms with massive expectations. For one, you're expected to produce roughly 30+ goals or 30+ assists with a team (even both in the right circumstances). However, the former first-round pick's age and continuing development shows this will take longer to properly evaluate.