He's right. As I've said before, it's McPhee's job to keep a poker face for as long as possible.
However, McPhee will have to reveal his hand soon. The Trade Deadline is February 26th. He must make decisions on UFAs James Neal, David Perron, and Luca Sbisa. He's also in a position to add players to his Western Conference-leading Golden Knights.
So where does Vegas need help?
Barring injury, I believe, despite the recent power play surge, that the Knights still need help there, especially with gaining the zone.
On the third line, Brendan Leipsic's hold on his left wing spot next to Cody Eakin and Alex Tuch is in question. The 23-year-old has shown a lot of promise, but a contending team might seek a steadier offensive and defensive presence.
Hockey analytics pioneer Corey Sznajder, who has also worked as a consultant for an NHL team, added, "They could look to improve the defending of their own line. It’s tough with the style they play, but adding a defenseman that can play higher in the lineup might help."
With these areas of improvement in mind, I asked Sznajder about a number of possibly available players who might fit Gerard Gallant's transition-happy, forecheck-heavy attack.
Ryan Dzingel, 25
Ottawa Senators, LW
Contract status: Until 2019, $1.8 million per season
Corey's take: "Basically bargain bin Mike Hoffman. Might cost less, but you’re not getting as high of an upside. Nice player & contract, though. I’d consider it."
Brendan Gallagher, 25
Montreal Canadiens, RW
Contract status: Until 2021, $3.75 million per season
Corey's take: "I think Gallagher could add a lot to their lineup. Plays all situations and fights like hell to get to rebounds. Would be a nice fit on a line with Perron or someone, but again, cost will be the road block. Montreal seems to love him & he’s been one of their top forwards this year."
Michael Grabner, 30
New York Rangers, LW
Contract status: Will be UFA
Corey's take: "Vegas seems like a team Grabner would thrive on, since his specialty is joining a teammate on the rush & scoring on great passes. Vegas has been that kind of team this year, so I love Grabner as someone who could give them three dangerous lines. The only problem is that he’s a UFA after this year & it would be a tough sell to buy high on him for only one year."
Mike Hoffman, 28
Ottawa Senators, LW
Contract status: Until 2020, $5.1875 million per season
Corey's take: "He fits them stylistically because he can score and play anywhere in the lineup. This one is all about cost. They’d be getting him on a nice contract, so there’s future value, but is it worth parting with future assets?"
Rick Nash, 33
New York Rangers, RW
Contract status: Will be UFA
Corey's take: "Interesting fit here, because he adds another goal-scorer & can push some guys down the lineup. Not sure if he would be worth the return, but I think he would be a fun addition."
Max Pacioretty, 29
Montreal Canadiens, LW
Contract status: Until 2019, $4.5 million per season
Corey's take: "This is interesting because Vegas has a few goalscorers this year & adding him feels like a luxury. However, if you’re shooting big, this isn’t a bad option. The issue is will he be worth the price?"
Tobias Rieder, 25
Arizona Coyotes, LW
Contract status: Will be RFA
Corey's take: "I like Rieder as a fit stylistically, because he has tremendous speed and would give one of Vegas’s bottom two lines a boost. He just drifts a lot in the defensive zone & has been a train wreck in terms of possession this year. Also having a pretty down year overall, but it’s been a tough year for the Coyotes in general. If Vegas can pair him with a center that will take most of the burden in the defensive zone off him, maybe they have something?"
Mats Zuccarello, 30
New York Rangers, RW
Contract status: Until 2019, $4.5 million per season
Corey's take: "Zuke is so versatile that I think he can fit into any team’s lineup, and Vegas would be a great landing spot for him. He was the catalyst for most of the Rangers' offense last year. He’s 30, so I’m not sure if he’s a long-term fit, but with only one year left on his contract they might be able to work something out here."
Mike Green, 32
Detroit Red Wings, D
Contract status: Will be UFA
Corey's take: "If you want to spend big for a power play quarterback, he’s your guy. I’m pretty sure he played on a pair with Schmidt in Washington for a while too, so there’s some familiarity. Not sure if that’s an ideal first pair, but you could move him lower in the lineup with Theodore."
Erik Karlsson, 27
Ottawa Senators, D
Contract status: Until 2019, $6.5 million per season
Corey's take: "Obviously, he’d fit in like a glove. It’s just about ponying up whatever Dorion wants to get him (if he’s available)."
Sznajder also noted, "A right-shot defenseman might be something they’d want." Vegas currently has only two right-handed defensemen on their roster: Deryk Engelland and Colin Miller. "Maybe see if they can get Cody Franson from Chicago for a spare part. He has his warts, but I think if they want a RH guy who can run the power play, he’s not a bad option. Also wouldn’t cost much."
As for what the Golden Knights could offer in return, their most attractive non-NHL assets are prospects Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, Erik Brannstrom, Nic Hague, Tomas Hyka, and Jake Bischoff. They have all their first-round picks and seven second-rounders over the next three years. They should also have the space to take on a bad contract or two.
It's not to say that McPhee will make any of this available. He may stand pat; he may pile on assets by trading one of his own UFAs; he may pull off the biggest deal this month. There may not be a GM during this Deadline with more options -- all of them make some sense.
Personally, I think that he should avoid the blockbuster (sorry Erik), but considering this team's success, still think big. Why not dangle what might be a late 2018 1st for a Green or a Grabner? This won't decimate the system, unlike a trade for a superstar. But it might propel a long Knights run.
Anyway, Corey has a Patreon which is very much worth supporting. He's taking on the daunting duty of tracking zone entries and exits for every team, every game this season. I've supported his work for years, and it's always enlightening. Help him out!
***
Ferraro: "No matter how good you are, there's going to be nights like this. You play 82 times, there's going to be a few that you just throw into the garbage can." #VegasBorn
From the drop of the puck, it was clear that the Golden Knights were a step behind.
About three minutes in, Colin Miller pinches and Pierre-Édouard Bellemare covers high for him. No problem there. The issue is Bellemare letting Parise slip behind him for a breakaway.
It's hard to speak up on Bellemare's behalf here. Neither Joel Eriksson Ek, who makes the stretch pass, nor Parise show much deception. It's pretty clear that Eriksson Ek wants Parise, his only stretch option. It looks like the normally-reliable Bellemare is simply caught napping.
Unfortunately, this was the kind of resistance that Minnesota faced most of the night.
Gallant: "We were sound asleep in the 1st period." #VegasBorn
Down 3-0, Erik Haula deflected a Miller power play blast past Devan Dubnyk for his 20th goal of the campaign. It's Haula's first time reaching that mark; it's an important milestone for somebody who believes himself a top-six forward.
After a 1 for 32 power play outage, Vegas has scored on nine of their last 16 opportunities.
Minuses
You name it.
Minnesota beat the visitors in transition.
They outhustled them, as Ray Ferraro spelled out, "If you're going to win, you have to fight for the puck. That's the lightest guy on the ice, Jared Spurgeon. He outmuscles Karlsson for the puck."
Gallant added, "I didn't like our team tonight. We had no compete."
The Wild forechecked them into the ground:
On the other hand, the Golden Knights couldn't establish their forecheck, which led to transition going the other way.
Minnesota just seemed to know what Vegas wanted to do at every turn:
Great defense by #MNWild, they know #VegasBorn wants to hit Tuch with speed through the neutral zone
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