With the off-season in full swing, the Vegas Golden Knights have completed the 2019 Entry Draft, Development Camp, and made it through the opening of NHL Free Agency. While the dust has somewhat settled from the initial pandemonium, one trip to Twitter makes it abundantly clear that George McPhee’s final summer as the Golden Knights’ General Manager is far from over. He certainly has some unfinished business before handing the reins over to Kelly McCrimmon on September 1. Prior to their third season in the NHL, the Golden Knights have some very big questions that need answers.
Will Nikita Gusev Sign with the Club?
Nikita Gusev Dominated the IIHF World Championships (IIHF.com)
Let’s come out swinging with the most pressing issue for McPhee. Gusev remains a big question mark for the Golden Knights and nobody has a definitive answer, McPhee included. The high-profile Restricted Free Agent (RFA) remains without a contract and reports have indicated the he and the team are a full $2 million apart on his annual value. Will he be signed by the team? Will his rights be traded? Can the Golden Knights afford him without making another trade? I took to Cap Friendly’s “Arm Chair GM” tool to run the numbers.
Create your own team. Trade, sign, recall, reassign, and buyout players as though you were your favourite teams general manager.
Team outlook without Gusev, signing all reported returnees
Create your own team. Trade, sign, recall, reassign, and buyout players as though you were your favourite teams general manager.
Moving Eakin/Reaves, promoting Cody Glass, to clear salary cap
At this point, speculation abounds regarding the Gusev saga. One definite seems to be the belief in his talent. Darren Dreger of TSN has reported that multiple GMs around the league have inquired on the Russian import, due to his dynamic offense. In a press conference following the first day of Free Agency, McPhee said, “We’ve had people call us on him and we’ll see what develops”. “He worked real hard to get over here and we’re going to accommodate him, one way or another, either here or with another club.”
Before signing Gusev, the Golden Knights have a payroll of $77.675 million. At this dollar amount the roster is comprised of 13 forwards, five defensemen (one of which is the underwhelming Nick Holden), and one goaltender. This leaves the Golden Knights with $3.825 million left to fill the remaining spots, without taking Gusev into account. Another move is surely necessary to get Gusev under contract while remaining under the salary cap.
Cody Eakin ($3.85m), Ryan Reaves ($2.75m), and Nick Holden ($2.2m) are the bigger, movable cap hits for McPhee, but he may be hard-pressed to find trade partners for the latter two options. Moving Gusev may be the easiest thing for McPhee to do, capitalizing on the asset because they simply can’t afford him, as is. If Eakin were dealt, it would signal the start of the Glass era in Vegas, entrusting him with Eakin’s role at 3C.
Is Cody Glass Ready for the NHL?
Cody Glass has seen some preseason time in the past with the Golden Knights (USA Today Sports)
At the ripe age of 20-years-old, Glass turned pro during the 2018-19 season, when he joined the Chicago Wolves (AHL) for a Calder Cup push and Cup run. Glass was drafted sixth overall in the 2017 Entry Draft, serving as the first ever draft pick for the Vegas Golden Knights. From 2016-2019, Glass lit up the Western Hockey League for the Portland Winterhawks and he sustained success in his first taste of pro hockey.
Glass played six regular season games with the Golden Knights’ AHL club, recording three goals and two assists. In their Calder Cup run, Glass chipped in another seven goals and eight assists in 22 games, falling just short of a championship. A mere 28 games of professional experience may not be enough for a young player to jump right into a 3C role, if Eakin were dealt to afford McPhee the cap space to sign Gusev. While the young buck has the skill set to make an impact in the NHL, he is still a bit undersized and under-seasoned, making him a risky play at 3C.
By all means, Glass needs some NHL time this season, in order to become an impact player for the organization, sooner rather than later, but that can be done without overloading the prospect. In Philadelphia, Nolan Patrick was given that role out of the gate and struggled accordingly, as a consensus first/second overall draft prospect. It’s not a knock on Glass, but he should get more pro time before he’s asked to fill a top-nine role in the NHL, especially on a team that has become a shoe-in for the playoffs in their first two seasons.
Which Defenseman Will Round Out the Roster?
Erik Brannstrom, the Golden Knights’ best defensive prospect, was included in last year’s trade deadline acquisition of superstar Mark Stone. Despite losing Brannstrom, young defenseman are a point of strength for the Golden Knights. The club has three NHL-ready options younger than 25, in addition to Shea Theodore, who is already established at the NHL level. Nicolas Hauge, Zach Whitecloud, and Jimmy Schuldt are all NHL-ready options for the team.
Zach Whitecloud saw some action at the end of the 2017-18 season (USA Today Sports)
Only one of those players will hold a full-time role, with a new contract for veteran leader Deryk Engelland on the horizon. McPhee disclosed that the two sides are close to a deal for Engelland’s return and that they are negotiating performance bonuses. Last season, Engelland made $2.5 million, with $1 million of it coming from bonuses. Performance bonuses are very important moving forward for a team like the Golden Knights, who need to keep their cap hits low.
All three players bring exciting skill sets to the table. Gerard Gallant has shown a desire to pair a puck-moving defenseman with a more stay-at-home type. This formula, combined with Engelland’s return makes Schuldt seem like the front-runner for the vacant position, as the more definitive puck-mover of the three. Once the RFA signs his new contract, the Golden Knights defense corps could look like this:
McNabb – Theodore
Schmidt – Engelland
Merrill – Schuldt
Hauge and Whitecloud could very well see time, along with pending-RFA Jake Bischoff, but those answers will come in training camp and/or the preseason. McPhee openly stated that the spot is open to auditions and that this is the year that a rookie will be on the blue line for the Golden Knights. Expect to see lots of Hauge, Whitecloud, Schuldt, and Bischoff throughout the preseason, pending new contracts for the latter pair. For your viewing pleasure, check out this Hauge clip from a scrimmage during the Golden Knights’ Development Camp.
#14 Nic Hauge Full Shift (VGK Dev Camp)
Will Subban Agree to a Long-Term Deal?
Subban remains an RFA, who has filed for salary arbitration. Whether he and the team agree to a deal prior remains unknown. Last summer, McPhee avoided arbitration when he signed William Karlsson to a new deal and he may do the same this summer with Subban. By all indications, the team wants Subban back, but their current cap issues may make it tough to get a long-term deal done that works for both sides.
Malcolm Subban had a solid season as the Golden Knights’ back-up netminder
At just 25-years-old, Subban is one of the most valuable back-up goaltenders in the league. He has the pedigree of a future franchise goaltender and will only benefit from playing alongside Marc-Andre Fleury, during his new three-year deal. Subban finished last season with an 8-10-2 record with a 2.93 GAA and .902 save percentage. Those numbers are certainly adequate for a back-up, taking an all-around dismal team performance in Calgary (7 GA) into account. He carried the load quite well when Fleury missed approximately a month of time due to injury.
After losing Maxime Lagace to the Bruins in free agency, locking up Subban is even more imperative. By year three of Fleury’s new deal, the Golden Knights could have the best goalie tandem in the NHL. Once his contract expires Fleury should be able to pass on the crease to Subban following the 2021-22 season. If the team simply elects to offer Subban a one-year deal this summer, don’t be surprised to see the long-term raise come after the season, when they free up more cap.
Keep an eye on the Golden Knights as the summer trudges on. There are clearly questions to answer and moves to make before we can look forward to the 2019-20 season. These next two months will be crucial for George, Kelly, and Co. laying the groundwork for the Golden Knights’ future. With Erik Haula and Colin Miller out the door, it will be interesting to see who steps up and carries the load left behind by the two fan-favorites.
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