The Vegas Golden Knights have written the textbook on how to run an NHL franchise. The Golden Knights have not even reached the 10-year-mark in the NHL, but they made it to the Stanley Cup Final in their first year and they won the title in Year Six. As a result of those high achievements and equally high standards, the Golden Knights are always viewed as Stanley Cup contenders.
That includes the current season, even though there have been a few issues in Year Nine. Head coach Bruce Cassidy's team is in first place in the Pacific Division, but it has not been one of their better regular seasons. They have a 28-18-14 record and they are just one point ahead of the surprising Anaheim Ducks. The struggling but still explosive Edmonton Oilers are in third place in the division.
There has been a lot of inconsistency to this point in the season, and while it is usually a mistake to make too much of any recent game, the Golden Knights were pummeled 5-0 by the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road. They have a pair of road games this week prior to the March 6 trade deadline against the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings, two teams that are inside the playoff structure.
The likelihood is that the embarrassment of getting beaten by five goals will motivate this team to play much better against Buffalo and Ottawa. Cassidy is not the kind of coach who will let that kind of defeat go by the boards, especially with the team's first-place status in jeopardy.
The Golden Knights are not going to let the trade deadline go by without making any moves. They need a depth forward and they also need goaltending help since Adin Hill and Akira Schmid are not elite.
Jason Dickinson of the Blackhawks could steady bottom six
The Golden Knights cannot be counted out because their top two lines can always get the job done. Jack Eichel centers the top line and he is one of the best triggermen in the league. He is especially dangerous in clutch situations.
Former Maple Leaf Mitch Marner anchors the No. 2 line with Pavel Dorofeyev and Reilly Smith as his wings. This trio can be a quick-strike unit with pinpoint passing and finishing ability.
Adding a player like Jason Dickinson would make their bottom six much tougher to play against. Dickinson is a 30-year-old center with size at 6-2 and 205 pounds. He is not a big-time scorer and he never has been, but he can play defense and will respond to the challenge of playing against effective offensive players.
He is an 11-year NHL veteran, having played six seasons with the Dallas Stars, one season with the Vancouver Canucks and is now in his fourth season with the Chicago Blackhawks.
While playing for the lowly Blackhawks, he regularly draws the most dangerous offensive opponents. He has six goals and seven assiststs in 46 games this year. He scored a career-high 22 goals in the 2023-24 season, but the Golden Knights would not be going after him for his offense.
They need his consistency as a role player and general manager Kelly McCrimmon has to hope that his presence will send a message to the rest of the team. That message is that every player has to do his individual job and that will serve the team more than adding another star player.
If the Golden Knights get that message, that would be the team's ideal trade scenario.
Goaltending dilemma likely to dog Golden Knights until season's end
The other area that the Golden Knights need to look at prior to the trade deadline is goaltending. Schmid is 16-7-6 with an .895 save percentage and a 2.55 goals against average. Hill is 5-4-3 with an .858 save percentage and a 3.47 GAA. While Schmid has performed somewhat better than Hill, neither is good enough to get the key goaltender wins that every legitimate contender has to get at some point.
Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues may be available at the trade deadline — but it is likely to be at an exorbitant price. McCrimmon is not going to give away one of his stars or mortgage the future to acquire an excellent big-game goalie who is having a disappointing season.
The Golden Knights have superstars throughout their lineup and there may be a tendency to think that another superstar would help secure their position and help them be competitive in the Stanley Cup playoffs. That would be a mistake because they don't need a headliner. Giving away a core player for a shiny superstar would be a mirage that would end up being a nightmare for the team.
The Golden Knights need a glue-type player who can play well defensively and send a message to the rest of the team that the small things must get done on the ice if the team is going to win down the stretch and in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
