Dear hockey fans,
Are you ready to be outraged by the latest Vegas Golden Knights rumors? Do you want your blood to boil when thinking about the gold men? You better get your best curse words for Kelly McCrimmon ready because it involves cap space.
In fact, it has everything to do with LTIR. But there's a twist. See, Mark Stone (the proverbial king of LTIR) isn't involved. Instead, it has everything to do with a particular defenseman who was injured throughout the past season.
Friedman on 32 Thoughts Pod suggests that, due to an injury, there is some level of uncertainty as to #VegasBorn Alex Pietrangelo's availability next year.
— Jack Manning (@NHLJackManning) June 7, 2025
If true, changes a lot about Vegas' summer. Discussion starts at 33 min. https://t.co/JNg5WRqM2E
You know what that means, right? LTIR space. We're talking about $8.8 million, to be exact. Yep, I can only imagine the 31 other fan bases taking this story pretty well.
For some background, Alex Pietrangelo went through a wave of injuries throughout the 2024-25 season. Take your pick among the various upper-body and lower-body injuries the two-time Stanley Cup champion endured. That's mainly why he didn't play in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
I mean, I get it, man. He's 35 years old and isn't getting younger. Being out for the 2025-26 season would be a devastating blow for Vegas on numerous fronts.
So why would this be a big deal for the Golden Knights before the offseason? Well, this changes everything. It changes how McCrimmon will approach free agency and who he can trade. But there's more to the story than simply signing a disgruntled "Core Four" member like Mitch Marner.
How Alex Pietrangelo possibly going on LTIR would change everything for the Golden Knights
First, it eases the pain of trading away too much depth. Now, I know what you're thinking here, dear reader. Forward depth, right?
Actually, it also concerns the blue line. Initially, there were the possibilities of trading both Zach Whitecloud and Nicolas Hague to clear cap space. However, losing Pietrangelo for the season restricts that possibility.
Sure, trading Hague is still in play because of his incoming deal. But are you going to cut your nose to spite your face? That wouldn't make too much sense, would it?
As for the forwards, William Karlsson and Ivan Barbashev have been popular names brought up in trade rumors and discussions. If Pietrangelo goes on LTIR? That doesn't seem like a possibility.
Of course, there's the obvious for Kelly McCrimmon
Of course, this winds back to the obvious for McCrimmon and the Golden Knights: free agency. Names that were originally deemed difficult to obtain, such as Mitch Marner, are now in play. What's more, it would make getting stars like Brock Boeser and Nikolaj Ehlers doable without moving players.
What does that mean for the average NHL fan not in Las Vegas? Well, get ready for plenty of conspiracies about Gary Bettman rigging everything in Vegas's favor. It's coming since the average person has become more unhinged than ever.
But it also means that the Golden Knights wouldn't have their Stanley Cup window closed yet. In fact, using that potential LTIR space would mean it gets pried open further. Imagine Marner and Jack Eichel racing down the ice together on an odd-man rush... with a full team.
That's a scary sight to behold for the average NHL fan. They'd rather clean their eyes out with bleach than watch McCrimmon put Pietrangelo on LTIR. You know what they say, dear reader. Long live the "Evil Empire."
Sincerely,
Golden Knights fans.