2 weeks Ago By Hannah Kirkell, Vegas Hockey Now
The NHL Trade Deadline is less than a month away. Teams are gearing up for their postseason pushes, and we’ve already seen two blockbuster trades. First, the Colorado Avalanche sent Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes for Martin Necas and Jack Drury.
A week later, the Vancouver Canucks finally caved and reunited JT Miller with the New York Rangers; they received Filip Chytil in return and also added Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Dallas Stars added Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks. The Vegas Golden Knights are in an interesting position this year.
They don’t have a first-round draft pick until 2027, and they also don’t have a lot of salary cap space. Even with the cap relief they got from placing William Karlsson on long-term injured reserve, they still have just over $2 million to work with. Now, the Golden Knights have been up against the cap around the trade deadline before and still added big-name players with sizable cap hits.
If they want to, they can make it work. They’ve gained a reputation for utilizing the LTIR loophole. But I don’t get the feeling that the Golden Knights will go big-game hunting this year.
This team has no glaring weaknesses in their top-six, and they don’t need another top-four defenseman. That doesn’t mean the Golden Knights won’t add to their team. When was the last time General Manager Kelly McCrimmon wasn’t active at the deadline? It just means that they’ll likely focus on depth additions.
Although, that’s probably a good thing; this is a seller’s market if I’ve ever seen one. Jake Evans, Montreal Canadiens You can never have too many centers, especially in the playoffs. Brett Howden has filled the William Karlsson-shaped hole admirably, but he’s more effective as a winger, in on the forecheck, forcing turnovers and throwing hits.
The defensive responsibilities that accompany playing center don’t allow Howden to fully play his game. Jake Evans could help with that. Evans, 28, is a pending UFA making $1.
7 million. The Golden Knights have drawn the fewest penalties per game, and their power play is tied for 2nd in the league; Jake Evans draws penalties like a madman. In terms of individual talent, Evans does everything well.
He’s got a nice shot, he’s fast, and he’s a decent skater. The puck tends to follow him into the offensive zone, and he knows what to do with it. Something to be cautious of: Evans is having the best season of his life.
He’s just two points shy of his career-high 29-point season, and he’s done that in 16 fewer games. His shooting percentage is currently 19.6, which isn’t sustainable in the long run– not when his previous high through more than 70 games was 10.
5 in 2021-22. He’s still a good player, but these numbers will return to earth. A second-round pick seems like a fair price.
Anthony Beauvillier, Pittsburgh Penguins The Golden Knights need more offense from their bottom-six, and Anthony Beauvillier checks all the boxes of a perfect depth acquisition. He’s smaller, but he’s fast. Beauvillier is defensively responsible– he was a New York Islander for six years, for God’s sake– but he doesn’t lack offensive skill.
He’s got great hands. This stretch pass from Cody Glass to Beauvillier >>>> pic.twitter.
com/3cGJ5NlXap — B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 18, 2025 Barring a miracle– and I’m talking ‘hand of God at the end of The Stand’ level of divine intervention– the Penguins aren’t making the playoffs. They’ve already sold off Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor and will continue to sell their pending UFAs. Beauvillier would be a cheap rental and could probably be had for a third-round pick.
He makes just $1.25 million, so no salary retention would be required. Beauvillier is a bit of a Swiss army knife; he can slot in all over the lineup.
With William Karlsson out of the lineup, the Golden Knights have seen a carousel of forwards called up from the Henderson Silver Knights; however, none of those players have seized a spot in the NHL lineup. Beauvillier and his 12 goals in 56 games would be a significant– but affordable!– addition to the bottom-six. [Insert Any Depth Defenseman Here] No, I didn’t forget to go back and fix the rough draft.
Almost any depth defenseman will do, and I mean that. The Golden Knights defensive corps is great. Alex Pietrangelo’s play hasn’t been up to par in recent weeks, but he’s been playing through an injury.
After two weeks of rest, I’m sure he’ll be just about as good as new. And Noah Hanifin has struggled, but he’s not playing poorly enough to consider taking him out of the lineup. If the Golden Knights want to go on a deep playoff run– which they do– it’s a good idea to add a 6th/7th defenseman.
It would be nice to add someone who can play up the lineup in case of injury, but that’s not necessary as of now. The Golden Knights don’t need a David Savard or a Rasmus Ristolainen; they need someone who can slot in on the bottom pair, play 15 minutes a night, and defend in front of the net..
