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The Vegas Golden Knights are certainly feeling golden this offseason. After being a contender since they entered the league in 2017, the Golden Knights finished the job and won their first Stanley Cup in June. They didn't just win a championship, they dominated and never faced elimination a single time.
While 31 other teams are now chasing that same success, the Knights are trying to stay fresh and defend their title. So far, though, they've been very quiet this offseason. Thanks to their ever-present salary cap issues, the Knights have made very few moves all offseason. Aside from Reilly Smith, who the Knights traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, this is almost the same team that just won the Stanley Cup.
With that said, there is still the theoretical possibility of Vegas making a notable deal before the offseason wraps up. However, they'll have very slim pickings to work with.
What Trades Could Vegas Even Make?
The Knights have been up against the salary cap for essentially their entire existence, and this offseason is no exception. As it stands now, Vegas has just over $850,000 in cap space, and even that is due to Robin Lehner being on LTIR. Without that relief, the Knights are actually more than $4 million over the cap.
Obviously, that greatly limits what kind of moves the Knights can make. So getting any of the big fish on the market is essentially out the window. Instead, the Knights will have to look a bit deeper.
Of course, that begs the question of what small moves could even help Vegas defend its title this season. There admittedly aren't many players that fit this criteria, but one of them stands out.
Ideal Trade Target: Andrew Peeke
Hailing from Florida, Peeke, 25, was the No. 34 pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2016, ironically before the Knights even played their first game. It took him until 2019-20 to make his NHL debut, but he has developed into a quality NHL player.
Over the last two seasons, Peeke has played 162 of 164 possible games for the Blue Jackets. His point totals aren't exactly jaw dropping, with just eight goals and 28 points. His defensive stats are also relatively pedestrian, but it's difficult to say how much of that is his fault compared to the Blue Jackets just being a subpar team.
Peeke just signed a three-year extension with Columbus last offseason, so it would seem as if he's there for the foreseeable future. However, with the Jackets bringing in Damon Severson and Ivan Provorov via trade, their blue line is suddenly a lot more crowded. As such, Peeke could be the odd man out in Columbus.
Despite Peeke's up-and-down career to this point, there should be a lot of interest on the trade market. He's still very young, and on a team-friendly contract with a cap hit of $2.75 million for the next two seasons. For a third-pairing defenseman, Peeke would be a very intriguing option.
Admittedly, the Golden Knights don't really have a need for a defenseman as they're pretty loaded on the backend. However, if a spot were to become available, say if the Knights traded Alec Martinez to free up cap space, then Peeke could be a young, cheap and relatively effective replacement.
Again, not a particularly likely trade to happen. Of Vegas' very limited trade options, though, this may be the best one.
