Nick Kypreos poured a little cold water on the Dylan Larkin-to-Vegas chatter on Wednesday, and the message was pretty simple: the Golden Knights may want in, but Detroit doesn’t sound eager to bite.
The Golden Knights have been linked to Larkin all summer, and the Red Wings captain has been described as one of his preferred landing spots, along with the Minnesota Wild and the Florida Panthers. But as Steve Yzerman’s asking price has climbed, Kypreos said the fit looks less realistic for Vegas and Minnesota.
“The Wild and Golden Knights don’t have anything that excites Detroit.”
Nick Kypreos on Sportsnet
That’s a tough line for Golden Knights fans who were expecting a bigger splash. Vegas did make a trade with Detroit this week, but it wasn’t the kind of headline move people had in mind. Keegan Kolesar was sent to the Red Wings for two draft picks, a deal that helps with cap space but doesn’t bring in the star power many were waiting for.
For now, the Golden Knights have used that breathing room to open up space for cheaper additions like Parker Wotherspoon and a returning Victor Olofsson. Those moves fit the money-management side of the equation and could still help on the ice, but they’re a far cry from the kind of blockbuster deal that gets the league talking.
There’s still room for Vegas to keep maneuvering. Kelly McCrimmon has already done a strong job restocking draft picks, giving the Golden Knights more assets to use in future deals. If Yzerman keeps holding firm, McCrimmon may still have enough flexibility to work out something by pitching a player or two and finding a way to make the numbers work.
In Other News...
Golden Knights Fans Just Got A Brutal Original Misfits Update
Reilly Smiths second run with the Golden Knights now looks like it will stop at one season, according to Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. After coming back to Vegas in a trade from the New York Rangers and signing a one-year deal for the 2025-26 campaign, Smith was always one of the more familiar faces in the room, part of the original group that helped shape the franchises identity and later one of the steady veterans fans expected to see back in the mix.
Brandon Saad and Ben Hutton are also set to hit the open market, leaving Vegas with a few more decisions to sort through as the roster takes another turn. For a team that has leaned on experience and continuity in its rise, losing a handful of known pieces at once changes the feel around the group, even before the rest of the offseason picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Just Took Another Big Pietrangelo Step
Alex Pietrangelos name remains part of the Golden Knights books, but the practical reality around the veteran defenseman has not changed. Vegas has placed him on long-term injured reserve for the 2026-27 season, a move that comes after he was briefly back on the active roster list on July 1, and it underscores how far the team has already moved toward life without him. Pietrangelos run in the NHL effectively ended after the 2024-25 season, closing a 17-season career that included two Stanley Cup championships and a long stretch as one of the leagues most reliable blueliners.
For Vegas, the roster note also carries cap implications as the club works through the final year of Pietrangelos seven-year, $61.6 million contract signed in 2020. The LTIR move gives the Golden Knights just under $1 million in cap space, but the bigger significance is the organizational one: one of the defining players from the franchises championship core is now being handled strictly as a non-playing piece, even if he remains around the team in other ways. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Just Took A Firm Stand On Their Biggest Concern
The Golden Knights spent the offseason making a clear change in net by moving Akira Schmid out and narrowing their focus to the tandem they want to ride going forward. General manager Kelly McCrimmon has made it plain the team views Adin Hill and Carter as the backbone of the position, with the organization sticking to its belief that Hill can steady himself after a rough year.
For Vegas, the broader message matters as much as the personnel move. Goaltending has been the obvious area to watch, and McCrimmons stance suggests the club is not looking for another shake-up there anytime soon, even with Hill carrying a no-trade list and a contract that makes any potential maneuver more complicated than most. [Read more 🡒]