The Vegas Golden Knights don’t have much breathing room under the cap, sitting with just $1,949,170 in space. That makes any trade deadline chase a tricky puzzle. But the season is a long one - even longer this year with 84 games - and that usually creates openings for a team willing to be aggressive when adversity hits.
That’s part of the Golden Knights’ identity anyway. In their 10-year history, they’ve never been shy about swinging a deal, and General Manager Kelly McCrimmon figures to be on the phone again when the market starts moving.
The dream names are obvious - Connor Hellebuyck, Quinn Hughes, even future unrestricted free agent Nikita Kucherov - but those are the kind of fantasies that don’t line up with the reality of Vegas’ cap picture. Mark Stone and William Karlsson are also set for new deals at the end of 2026-27, and those remain priorities.
The top four defensemen are already locked up long term, so the smarter question is which realistic rental or near-rental makes sense.
The focus here is on players who will be UFAs next summer and are in the final year of their current contracts. The math doesn’t work cleanly in September, but that can change fast once the season wears on and money opens up.
Blake Coleman is the oldest name on the list, heading into next season at 35, but he brings exactly the kind of usefulness contenders keep chasing. He’s in the final year of the six-year deal he signed with the Calgary Flames in 2021, a contract carrying a $4.9 million AAV.
Coleman has two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and his profile fits neatly in the Golden Knights’ bottom six. There’s also the possibility he’d accept a cheaper deal to keep playing for a contender late in his career.
Through 10 seasons, he has 170 goals and 325 points in 693 games, along with 65 games of playoff experience.
Drake Batherson is a different kind of target: younger, more explosive, and coming off a 33-goal season for the Ottawa Senators. He’s only making $4.975 million right now, but that number is about to jump.
Batherson has 109 goals over the past four seasons and has been a four-time 20-goal scorer, which means he’s headed for a hefty payday in free agency next summer. At 28, he looks like a player who’s still climbing, and he could bring serious production to a contender without immediately pushing the salary structure into chaos.
The source material also points out that the financial picture doesn’t fit today, but next summer could be a major turning point for the franchise, with new blood arriving through a trade.
Then there’s the boldest idea of all: Jason Robertson. If Vegas wanted to make one of the wildest moves in franchise history, Robertson is the name to chase.
The Dallas Stars winger is described here as their best player in more than a decade, and he’s already made it clear he wants to play in a contending market after previously turning down a big contract offer from the Seattle Kraken. A multi-time 40-goal scorer, Robertson would stay in the Western Conference and could slide into a team with championship aspirations.
The fit isn’t simple, though. Vegas already has Ivan Barbashev and Brett Howden to anchor their top lines on the left wing, which means bringing Robertson in would require moving at least one of them.
At 27, he’s in his prime and wants one major seven-year deal and a shot at the Stanley Cup. In Vegas, he could chase both.
In Other News...
Vegas Hockey Fans Finally Have A First Look At The New PWHL Team
Vegas hockey fans are getting their first real look at the citys new Professional Womens Hockey League club, even if the franchise is still operating without an official team name. PWHL Las Vegas will open training camp on Nov. 18, and the early days will give the local crowd a chance to see the roster come together as the league prepares for another season of growth.
The first public glimpse comes quickly, with the team set to host the Minnesota Frost on Nov. 22 and the Vancouver Goldeneyes on Nov. 24 at America First Center in Henderson. With two scrimmages built into camp, the new Las Vegas entry will already have a chance to introduce itself on the ice, even as the biggest branding question around the club remains unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Trade Idea Could Change Their Center Group Fast
A fan-suggested trade has the Golden Knights looking at Pavel Zacha as a possible fix for the middle of their lineup, and it is easy to see why the idea has some appeal. Zachas size, age and two-way style would give Vegas another center option who can fit a hard, matchup-heavy roster, while the proposed return of Nic Dowd, Trevor Connelly and a 2028 first-round pick shows how much capital it would take to pry him away from Boston.
For a team still built around Stanley Cup aspirations, the attraction is obvious because this kind of move could change the center group quickly. Any deal of that sort would likely need salary retention to make the numbers work, but that is the sort of complicated swing Kelly McCrimmon has not been shy about exploring before, which is why the scenario feels more plausible than a typical message-board daydream. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Just Made Their Belief In Braeden Bowman Clear
Braeden Bowmans first full run with the Golden Knights was enough to convince the front office to act quickly. Vegas signed the young forward to a six-year contract extension worth $3.4 million annually, locking him in through the 2032-33 season after a debut year that turned heads both in the NHL and in the AHL.
Bowmans rookie season included franchise marks for a first-year player and a 26-point finish in 54 games, while his time in the minors was just as eye-opening, with Player of the Month recognition and the top points-per-game rate among AHL forwards with at least 15 appearances. For a club that has made a habit of rewarding players it trusts, the extension says plenty about how quickly Bowman has moved from promising newcomer to part of the long-term picture. [Read more 🡒]