Subscribe
Follow Us
Although the Vegas Golden Knights failed to win back-to-back Stanley Cups after being ousted by the Dallas Stars in a tight Round 1 series in 2023-24, the squad again looks like one of the premier teams in the Western Conference. Through just over a quarter of the season, Vegas is 19-7-3, good enough for first place in the Pacific Division.
The Golden Knights are also right in the thick of the President's Trophy race, currently just two points back of the first-place Winnipeg Jets and New Jersey Devils. It's been another strong campaign on the strip — as it usually is for the perennial powerhouse. And there's a great chance the roster gets even better ahead of the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline. General manager Kelly McCrimmon has never been afraid to make a big splash, and the way things are going, that will probably happen again in 2024-25.
Golden Knights aren't afraid to swing for fences in a trade
The Knights have brought a ton of top talent to town through the trade market over the last several years: Mark Stone, Noah Hanifin, Ivan Barbashev, Adin Hill, the list goes on. Vegas is a place where a ton of players want to play, and the front office has done a great job keeping this team competitive since marching all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural campaign in 2017-18.
Last trade deadline, it was Hanifin, Hertl and Anthony Mantha all being acquired by the Golden Knights. It's unlikely the front office will be quite as busy this time around, but one place the team could use an upgrade is on the wing. In an ideal world, Jack Eichel, Hertl and William Karlsson would each play center on a line. That leaves Stone and Barbashev as top-line wingers, with Brett Howden and Pavel Dorofeyev rounding out the top-six.
That's certainly not bad, but the Knights have an excellent and locked in blue line, and a Stanley Cup champion between the pipes in Hill. If McCrimmon and the front office are going to try to make this roster even better, an effective top-six winger will certainly be on the radar. And in the spirit of this organization always swinging for the fences, why not Vancouver Canucks sniper Brock Boeser?
Brock Boeser would be a massive addition for Vegas
Boeser has been a heart and soul player for the Canucks since being drafted 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. He just scored 40 goals for the first time in 2023-24, and has managed a solid 19 points in 21 games this season. There have been reports that the Burnsville, Minnesota native could be looking for upwards of $8 million per year over eight years on his next contract, which might be too much for the Canucks' front office to pay.
While there is a chance that the 27-year-old will end up re-signing in British Columbia, Sportsnet hockey insider Nick Kypreos included him on his first trade board of the season.
“With Jake Guentzel pushing the value of UFA scoring wingers up, Boeser is looking for eight years, north of $8 million AAV range, and Vancouver isn't yet prepared to pay him what his projected value is,” wrote Kypreos earlier this week.
“If no contract extension is on the way, the idea of losing him for nothing in free agency isn't all that appealing either. Canucks management isn't one to sit around and have been rather busy traders in recent seasons. Until an extension is signed, Boeser will be a trade candidate to watch this season.”
Boeser wouldn't come cheap; he's a proven scorer and a hard worker all over the ice. And the Canucks don't want to give this player up. With only $1.1 million in cap space to work with, the Knights would also have to get creative with the cap to take on Boeser's $6.65 million. The price tag would be steep, but this player could slot into the top-six and immediately make it much, much better.
If the Knights are unwilling to do the cap gymnastics to make it work — or if the price just ends up being too high — the front office could look for cheaper talent, including a couple of veteran forwards in Chicago Blackhawks' Taylor Hall or Anaheim Ducks' Frank Vatrano.
Taylor Hall, Frank Vatrano could be better alternatives for Knights
A former Hart Trophy winner as the NHL MVP in 2017-18, Hall has been hampered by injuries over the last couple of seasons. He hasn't played a full campaign since 2021-22, when he recorded 61 points in 81 games as a member of the Boston Bruins. He played only 10 games last year, but looks healthy in 2024-25.
At 33-years-old, a healthy Hall only goes so far. But he hasn't exactly been playing with the best linemates in Chicago. Despite that, he's managed 13 points in 28 games — good for fifth in scoring — while playing on the second powerplay unit. As a pending UFA, it's almost certain Hall gets traded ahead of the deadline, as the Hawks are in the basement of the NHL.
Hall could certainly fit in the top-nine and add a depth scoring punch. The problem is, he's making $6 million this year, and that's a hefty hit for a player with this injury history. Still, he's a postseason performer; he scored eight points in seven games for the Bruins in Round 1 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Another option is Vatrano, who has heard his name swirling in trade rumors almost constantly. The Ducks forward was excellent in 2023-24, amassing a career-high 37 goals and 60 points over a full 82-game slate. In 2024-25, he's at a decent 14 points in 27 games. He's three years younger than Hall, arguably more skilled right now, and making just $3.65 million before he tests unrestricted free agency next summer.
With the amount of cap space the Golden Knights have, they're probably only looking into rentals as they look to capture two Stanley Cups in three seasons. And while the price tags are vastly different, all of Boeser, Hall and Vatrano could help them in that quest. That's especially true as none of the three veterans has ever won a championship.
