Team: 2019-20 Vegas Golden Knights

Initial Creation Date: Jun. 9, 2019

Published: Jun. 10, 2019

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

I expect this gets picked apart since there are so many teams and big names involved. Let me know what you think.

*COLORADO*
GIVES: JT Compher, Nikita Zadorov
RECEIVES: William Karlsson, Patrick Marleau
Colorado is in need of secondary scoring behind their top 3 forwards. Karlsson gives them a bonafide #2 center behind Nathan MacKinnon. Karlsson will need a new contact, Jr the Avalanche have plenty of cap space to resign him to a long term deal. They also have the cap space to take on Patrick Marelau’s contract. They could either buy out Marleau, or hang onto him as a veteran leader for the next season.
Colorado gives up a versatile, young middle 6 forward in Compher and an impactful young defenseman in Zadorov. Both are 24 years old this summer, and are RFAs.

*TORONTO*
GIVES: Nazem Kadri, Patrick Marleau
Receives: Colin Miller, JT Compher
Toronto needs to upgrade their defense while also managing a tight cap situation. Kadri has become a luxury with the addition of Tavares last year, and things seem to have been a little contentious between Kadri and the Leafs since his suspension in the playoffs. He does play an important role as a very high-end 3C, but the Leafs get a solid, young 3C in return with Compher. They also add a puck-moving RD in Colin Miller who is under contract for 3 more years under $4M annually. Miller has 70 points over the last 2 years, and could replace Jake Gardiner’s offense (82 points over the last 2 years) at a much lower cost if Gardiner can’t be resigned. Maybe most importantly, Toronto sheds Marleau’s contact to create over $3M in cap space without creating holes in their lineup. With Marner, Kapanen, and Johnsson as RFAs, cap space is at a premium for the Leafs.

*VEGAS*
GIVES: William Karlsson, Colin Miller
RECEIVES: Jacob Trouba, Jack Roslovic
Vegas doesn’t have as many big RFAs as Toronto, but they’re in a bit of a cap crunch as well. They swap high-end RFAs by trading Karlsson away and getting Trouba back, and move Miller’s roughly $4M cap hit as well. There’s a rumor that Karlsson and Vegas are having trouble coming to an agreement on a new contract, and they could move him with Cody Glass on the way. Trouba gives Vegas a top-pair, right-shot defenseman to solidify their top-four defense group. They also get a young forward on his entry level contract in Roslovic with a lot upside. If Karlsson is dealt and the Knights move another forward like Erik Haula, Roslovic will have plenty of opportunity to solidify a spot in Vegas’s top 9.

*WINNIPEG*
GIVES: Jacob Trouba, Jack Roslovic
RECEIVES: Nazem Kadri, Nikita Zadorov
Winnipeg is a third team from this group looking to improve their roster while also managing a tight cap situation. For the last two years, they’ve added a #2 center at the trade deadline. They solidify that position with Kadri, who is won a very affordable deal for his role. His heavy style should fit well with the Jets system. Nikita Zadorov is another heavy player that would fit in well with the Jets. He’s an RFA who should get somewhere between 2.75-3.75 on a bridge deal. Zadorov’s size, physicality, and skating ability make him a unique talent, but he’s struggled a little bit with consistency. When he’s on his game, he could be a very impactful 2nd pairing defenseman. The Jets move on from a couple of players who have apparently had contentious relationships with management over the last couple of years. Trouba’s recent contract challenges are not a secret, and there’s a rumor that Roslovic asked for a trade due to lack of opportunity on a crowded Jets roster.

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