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The Vegas Golden Knights were one of the big winners of NHL free agency in 2025, acquiring superstar forward Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs and getting him locked up for the next eight seasons.
But the work continues to re-shape the blue line after the unfortunate news that Alex Pietrangelo is stepping away from hockey, along with the trade of Nic Hague to the Nashville Predators.
It's been widely reported that the Knights are looking to add Rasmus Andersson, who is playing on an expiring contract with the Calgary Flames and would prefer to be traded to the strip.
In that effort, Vegas needs to shed some cap space — and that could lead to another defenseman getting a change of scenery, at least according to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta.
“Vegas is trying to find a new home for defenceman Ben Hutton, who is in the final year of his contract,” the hockey insider wrote on Friday.
Hutton has spent the last four seasons with the Golden Knights after being signed in 2021 and earning a couple of new deals since then. He most recently signed a two-year, $1.95 million contract extension in December of 2023.
Although the 32-year-old has a relatively low cap hit at just $975,000, Vegas is already in the red, with minus-$6 million in cap space to work with between now and training camp, per Puck Pedia. In order to potentially acquire Andersson, the Knights simply need to shed cap space, and Hutton is a top candidate to get moved.
Even without Pietrangelo, Vegas already has six NHL-caliber defensemen: Shea Theodore, Noah Hanifin, Brayden McNabb, Zach Whitecloud, Jeremy Lauzon and Kaedan Korczak.
While Hutton is a nice safety net, if the Knights hope to become cap compliant before the 2025-26 season starts, tough decisions have to be made. The Prescott, Ontario native played just 11 games in 2024-25, managing two assists in that span. He didn't suit up at all in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Knights were defeated in five games by the Edmonton Oilers in Round 2.
Golden Knights working on contract extension with Jack Eichel
Pagnotta also provided another piece of intel on Friday, confirming that the team has begun negotiating with the best player on the roster.
“Speaking of Vegas, the Golden Knights have started contract negotiations with Jack Eichel on an extension,” he wrote.
Eichel, who had the best season of his career to the tune of 94 points in 77 games in 2024-25, can become an unrestricted free agent as soon as July 1, 2026. He's currently making $10 million, and will likely be getting a significant raise on his next deal.
While there's really no concern that Eichel isn't going to re-sign — he won a Stanley Cup with Vegas and the roster remains elite — it's a positive development that player and club have begun preliminary talks.
It'll be interesting to see what the final roster looks like on opening night, but Eichel will almost certainly be part of this franchise's plans — along with Marner — for years to come.
The same can't be said for Hutton, who will likely be getting a new home sometime in July.
