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The Vegas Golden Knights lost to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of their second-round matchup on Wednesday night. Stuart Skinner pitched a shutout in Game 5 to eliminate Vegas from the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Vegas heads into an offseason with some intriguing decisions ahead of it. And there are a number of trade possibilities on the table, as well.
The Golden Knights have missed the playoffs just once in their franchise history. With this sort of success comes heightened expectations within the organization and fanbase. As a result, it's hard to imagine the team blowing this up and entering a full rebuild. At the same time, it's clear this team needs to make some changes.
Vegas will look at every option available to them this summer. Before their offseason truly gets underway, though, let's take a look at some of those options. Here are three potential Golden Knights trade targets they can pursue after their second-round loss to the Oilers.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau is a potential option
Jean-Gabriel Pageau was an unexpected bright spot for the New York Islanders this season. Pageau had some ups and downs early in his tenure on Long Island. In 2024-25, though, he rounded into form with his best statistical season.
The Islanders forward scored 14 goals and 42 points in 79 games. This is his highest point total since 2015-16 when he scored 43 points for the Ottawa Senators. Pageau was on pace to score 20 goals for much of the season until a bit of a late-season slump kept him from achieving that mark.
Pageau can play either down the middle or on the wing. Ideally, the Golden Knights would like to add depth at both positions. A move to the Sin City may see the veteran forward move to the wing, however. Reilly Smith, Brandon Saad, and Victor Olofsson are all free agents this summer.
Pageau does carry a $5 million cap hit for the 2025-26 season, which makes things complicated. However, the veteran Islanders forward is a free agent next summer. If the two teams can work out the financial aspects of this deal, it could be a low-risk flyer for the Golden Knights to take.
Golden Knights could trade for Chris Kreider
Chris Kreider was no stranger to trade rumors in 2024-25. The Rangers forward was publicly made available by the Blueshirts this past season. His situation is one of a few different dramas that plagued Broadway on and off the ice as they missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Rangers could certainly take Kreider off the market over the summer. However, it feels as if a move out of New York is the most likely outcome. In this scenario, the Golden Knights make sense as a potential landing spot.
Kreider scored 22 goals in the regular season. However, he only managed eight assists for 30 points. Kreider's playmaking falling off a cliff is certainly a concern. In saying this, he remains a reliable goal scorer. He is also a proven playoff performer. In fact, no player in Rangers history has scored more goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs than Kreider.
Again, Kreider's salary could be an issue. His term is also something of note, as the Rangers forward isn't a free agent until July 2027. In any event, there is evidence to suggest Kreider can return to form in 2025-26. If he is made available to the Golden Knights, they would be wise to inquire about a potential trade.
Blues' Brayden Schenn could be available
During the season, trade rumors swirled around St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn. The veteran center is the captain of St. Louis. However, he could have generated a massive return in a seller's market for a team that wasn't a clear-cut playoff team.
In the end, Schenn remained with the Blues, and this turned out to be a good thing. St. Louis went on an inspiring run, making the Stanley Cup Playoffs as a Wild Card out of the West. The Blues won each of their last 14 home games, regular season and postseason included. Unfortunately, they were eliminated by the Winnipeg Jets.
After making the playoffs, it's unclear whether the Blues would trade Schenn. The move makes sense from a financial perspective. St. Louis is only projected to have around $5 million available this summer, according to PuckPedia. Moving Schenn's $6.5 million salary would give the team room to make moves.
The Golden Knights would have trouble taking on the remaining three years of this contract. However, the team reportedly expressed interest in Schenn before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. If Schenn becomes available again, perhaps the Blues and Golden Knights can work something out over the summer.
