The Vegas Golden Knights are like a magician. They can pull a proverbial rabbit out of the hat from nothing, putting the crowd on its collective feet. That's what many analysts and insiders are anticipating Kelly McCrimmon to do something big.
That's no different on NHL Draft night, where there could be some players moved. Could it be Nicolas Hague, as the long-awaited speculation has shown? What about Nicolas Roy? Who knows?
That's the beauty of being one of the most captivating general managers in hockey (or sports, in general). You can shock everyone with a big move out of left field (i.e., Tomas Hertl) and get your team one step closer to winning the Stanley Cup.
But what about the cap space situation? You're looking to add the vaunted Mitch Marner to the equation and get another Stanley Cup. Therefore, you'd better understand where you stand in the cap! It's so easy that a caveman could do it (cue a Geico commercial).
Let's investigate that cap number further. After all, it doesn't hurt to see where your team stands before the biggest prospect day in sports.
How much cap space do the Vegas Golden Knights have heading into the NHL Draft
According to PuckPedia, the Vegas Golden Knights have $5.615 million in cap space heading into the NHL Draft. That's with a pending contract extension for Brandon Saad worth $2 million. Also remember they re-signed Reilly Smith to a one-year deal worth $2 million. That includes a no-trade clause, where the Original Misfit plans to stick around for the 2025-26 season.
$7.615 million? That's not enough to get Mitch Marner to Las Vegas! How can Kelly McCrimmon do it?
Well, there are some avenues to explore. One could be trading a player like Ivan Barbashev and removing his $5 million cap hit. Of course, you could also trade Nicolas Roy, who has a cap hit of $3 million.
The catch? Roy doesn't have a no-move clause attached to his name. That's why he's as lucrative a trade target as Barbashev is. However, he's not the main guy to watch out for.
Watch for Alex Pietrangelo this weekend
There's been endless speculation on where Alex Pietrangelo will end up heading into the 2025-26 season. Will he play hockey for the Golden Knights next season or will he head closer to retirement?
If he doesn't play, chances are that his $8.8 million cap hit will be placed on LTIR, making room for Mitch Marner. The Golden Knights have 18 active roster spots filled (excluding Saad's pending contract extension), meaning that McCrimmon can go the Florida Panthers route. That means filling spots by giving players league-minimum contracts.
If Pietrangelo doesn't? Well, that changes everything. Now, you must make another big move if you want to get the "Core Four" member on board. That might be something that McCrimmon isn't willing to tempt fate on. Therefore, he might look at cheaper alternatives to fill out the top-six forward unit.
That might not go over well with the Golden Knights fan base, who are anticipating a big move this summer. But who knows? That could come in the form of a big trade. A crazy move that nobody expected could be on the table.