Ladies and gentlemen, we've officially entered the dog days of summer. With the offseason basically wrapped up, sans a few minor signings, it's time to stew and wait for the NHL schedule to drop. Then? Two months of waiting for the regular season to return. By the way, be on the lookout for New York dates to drop this week!
Anyway, the Vegas Golden Knights made plenty of interesting moves to create cap space. That included trading Keegan Kolesar and Kaedan Korczak. Of course, that had a futuristic perspective, too. Pavel Dorofeyev and Akira Schmid were also offloaded to clear future cap space.
Historically, you can take a look at what got the Golden Knights to this point. That consisted of moves coming from all parties, whether it was George McPhee or Kelly McCrimmon. Regardless, it's gotten the Golden Knights to three Stanley Cup Final appearances and a Stanley Cup.
So, let's create a little Mount Rushmore of important moves in Golden Knights history. Who made the list as a foundational member of the Golden Knights? What impact did they have on Vegas as a whole? Here's what made the cut in Las Vegas.
4.) Alex Pietrangelo signs a seven-year, $61.6 million deal with the Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights needed a premier two-way defender to take the pressure off the goaltending. Sure, they had Alec Martinez and his shot-blocking prowess. But that wasn't going to get the job done.
Enter Alex Pietrangelo, one of the game's best two-way defensemen around. He gets a seven-year, $61.6 million deal and the Golden Knights get their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Sometimes, those long-term deals work themselves out.
3.) Mitch Marner comes to the Vegas Golden Knights from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a sign-and-trade
Now, this will rustle the jimmies of many in the greater Toronto area. But do Golden Knights fans really care about that? No. They care that Nicolas Roy was shipped out of town for Marner to get an eight-year, $96 million deal in Vegas.
Lo and behold, he leads the NHL in postseason points (29) and puts the Golden Knights within two games of their second Stanley Cup. Hey, it's not his fault that the defensive structure let Vegas down in the Stanley Cup Final.
2.) The Vegas Golden Knights select Marc-Andre Fleury in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft
Much has been made about the Golden Knights and their wheelin' and dealin' on players like Reilly Smith and Shea Theodore. But the 2017 Expansion Draft also produced plenty of hits, including the 29th pick in that draft, Marc-Andre Fleury.
Left for dead after the Pittsburgh Penguins opted for a younger goaltender in Matt Murray, the Golden Knights took a flyer on Fleury in the 2017 Expansion Draft. The result? He gives Vegas its first Vezina Trophy winner and a 2018 Stanley Cup Final run.
1.) The Vegas Golden Knights acquire Jack Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres
Remember when I talked about that alternate universe stuff about Jack Eichel not being acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights? Well, the Golden Knights don't win a Stanley Cup without his services in 2023. But that's not the only effect that Eichel's absence would've had on the team.
The Golden Knights also wouldn't have a premier center that sets single-season franchise records. You also don't see guys like Jonathan Marchessaut or Pavel Dorofeyev have career years without his services, making him vital to the team's success.
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