The Vegas Golden Knights were on top of the world just over one calendar year ago, celebrating the first Stanley Cup victory in just the sixth year of their existence since entering the NHL. Essentially, the Golden Knights went from the loveable team that could to the League's new villain, especially due to their creative maneuvering around the salary cap.
But following several notable subtractions to their current roster, the Golden Knights are arguably much weaker now than they were as the seconds ticked off the clock in Game 7 of the Western Conference quarterfinal. Franchise cornerstone Jonathan Marchessault, an original “misfit” from the expansion 2017-18 squad, departed after signing a deal with the Nashville Predators, while forward Chandler Stephenson was lured to the Seattle Kraken.
Forward Paul Cotter was dealt to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid. Additionally, William Carrier signed a free-agent deal with the Carolina Hurricanes, defenseman Alec Martinez signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, Michael Amadio joined the Ottawa Senators, and Anthony Mantha headed north by signing with the Calgary Flames.
In another move, Vegas traded goaltender Logan Thompson to the Washington Capitals. But who are the new names the Golden Knights were able to bring in via free agency, and how will they benefit the club moving forward?
Goaltending depth with Ilya Samsonov: C+
The Golden Knights needed a capable goaltender to pair with Adin Hill after they sent Thompson in the deal mentioned above to the Capitals. They filled that need by snagging a former Capitals goaltender in his own right, agreeing to terms with Ilya Samsonov on a one-year contract.
Samsonov spent the last two years with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he became the first goaltender in team history to lead them to a Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoff series victory since Ed Belfour in 2004. However, the emergence of Joseph Woll helped make Samsonov expendable in Toronto, particularly following Woll's performance in Round 1 of the postseason against the Boston Bruins.
Samsonov's final stat line for the 2023-24 season was a respectable 23-7-8. However, his goals-against average of 3.13 and his .890 save percentage were not particularly impressive. His postseason stats of a 3.01 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage weren't much better, and he knows that his performance must bounce back if he is to secure a long-term future in the NHL, via David Alter of the Hockey News.
“The last couple of years, seriously, the last three years, I'm just working with one (year) deal contract. It's not too easy. It's not too easy for me. You think about it. It doesn't matter if you're still human or it doesn't matter how your confidence level or something. You still think about this. I think I want to get some more stability,” Samsonov said. “Maybe this will be nice if we get a couple of years or a three-year contract. It's true. This will be good for my family”
Samsonov's deal with Vegas is essentially a “prove-it” contract that he hopes to turn into a longer-term agreement. This benefits Vegas because if things don't work out, they aren't committed to him long-term.
Offensive depth with Victor Olofsson: B
Vegas needed to replace some of the offensive production lost from the aforementioned departures. Enter Swedish forward Victor Olofsson, who has spent the first several years of his NHL career with the Buffalo Sabres. While his production dipped to only seven goals and eight assists last season in 51 games, he was only one year removed from a career-high 28 goals scored in 2022-23.
He has reached the 20-goal mark three times in his career and is just 10 goals away from reaching 100 career goals. He joins the Golden Knights on an inexpensive one-year contract worth $1.075 million, making it a low-risk, high-reward agreement for his new team. Playing on a more talented squad will certainly work in Olafsson's favor, and they hope he can score at least 20 goals for the fourth time in his career.
Minor-league depth with a handful of additions: C
The Golden Knights didn't exactly impress with their other additions, who are mostly depth players unlikely to make the team and will likely be spending most of their playing time with the American Hockey League affiliate Henderson Silver Knights.
Defenseman Robert Hagg, with 343 games of NHL experience, signed a one-year contract for $775K. He spent most of last season with the AHL's San Diego Gulls. Scrappy forward Zach Aston-Reese, who played primarily with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins while under contract with the Detroit Red Wings last season, signed a one-year, two-way deal. Additionally, forward Tanner Laczynski signed a two-way contract after scoring 17 goals and 27 assists for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season.
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