Bleacher Report’s latest trade idea for the Vegas Golden Knights is the kind of proposal that gets people talking fast: Connor Hellebuyck to Vegas, with Adin Hill, a 2028 first-round pick, and Braeden Bowman heading to Winnipeg.
On paper, it’s a bold swing. In practice, it’s the sort of deal that raises just as many questions as it answers.
Bowman is the interesting piece here. He’s young enough to give the Jets a little boost for a rebuild, and he just put together an eye-catching rookie season with eight goals and 18 assists.
But his contract - $912,500 this season - also makes the money awkward for Vegas, since it leaves the Golden Knights short of Hellebuyck’s salary unless retention is involved. That means another player would likely need to be added to make the numbers work.
Still, the appeal is obvious if you’re Vegas. Kelly McCrimmon has never been shy about making a big move when he wants one.
Alex Tuch went east. Keegan Kolesar was moved for more cap space.
This is a front office that has shown it will chase the player it wants and figure out the cap later.
And Hellebuyck is the kind of target that makes sense for that approach. He’s already proven himself at the highest level, with a Hart Memorial Trophy, an Olympic gold medal, and multiple Vezina Trophies on his resume. If Vegas is looking for a major upgrade in net, he checks every box.
There’s also the Hill factor. Adin Hill has been rumored to be on the trade block for some time, and Bowman doesn’t have a no-trade clause.
That gives the framework at least some realism, even if the proposed package still feels light. The issue is whether the Golden Knights actually have enough to pry Hellebuyck loose, especially after reports in recent weeks that the offers around him haven’t been strong enough to get Winnipeg to bite.
That’s the heart of the problem for this idea. The Jets would likely want more, and perhaps another high draft pick would have to be part of the conversation.
Maybe another first-rounder. Maybe something else to help offset Hellebuyck’s price tag.
As it stands, the deal doesn’t exactly scream “done.”
And then there’s the Hill obstacle. If he was difficult to move over the summer, especially with his 10-team no-trade list, that only complicates things further.
Even so, McCrimmon has gone down this road before. He sent Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, and a pair of high draft picks to Buffalo for Jack Eichel, with a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft coming back to Vegas. The message was clear then, and it’s still clear now: if he wants a player badly enough, he’ll keep pushing until he finds a way.
That’s why a Hellebuyck chase isn’t impossible to imagine. He’d be a major upgrade for Vegas. There are age concerns, sure, but that didn’t stop people from asking similar questions about Marc-Andre Fleury, and that worked out just fine for the most part.
In Other News...
Golden Knights Camp Opens With A Few Roster Fights Fans Should Watch
Training camp is underway for the Golden Knights this week, and the first preseason game against the Los Angeles Kings is giving the organization an early chance to sort out its depth chart. As always, there are a few spots where nothing is settled yet, which means camp is about more than just getting back on the ice - it is the first real look at which players can force their way into the conversation for opening-night roles.
Among the names worth tracking are Finnish defenseman Juho Piiparinen and a cluster of young forwards in Trevor Connelly, Kai Uchacz, Tuomas Uronen and Trent Swick, all of whom are trying to turn camp reps into something more meaningful. Alexander Holtz and Marc Gatcomb also enter the week with something to prove, and for Vegas the bigger question is not just who looks good in drills, but who can carry that momentum into the preseason games and make the roster decisions harder before the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights May Have One Front Office Edge Other Teams Lack
Several restricted free agents got their deals done before the deadline under the current contract structure, with Cutter Gauthier landing a six-year pact worth $13.5 million annually from the Anaheim Ducks and Luke Evangelista securing a five-year agreement at $7.25 million per year from the New Jersey Devils. It was another reminder that this part of the calendar can get expensive quickly, especially for teams trying to lock in young talent without letting negotiations drag into a standoff.
For Vegas, though, the pattern around Kelly McCrimmon has looked a little different. The Golden Knights general manager tends to move early when he wants to keep a player, or he pivots to a trade before it ever gets to the point of handing out a big restricted free agent contract. In a league where these situations can become messy and costly, that approach has become one of the more notable front office advantages the Golden Knights appear to hold. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Fans Just Got A Tough Ryan Reaves Goodbye
Ryan Reaves is calling it a career after 16 NHL seasons, closing the book on a rugged run that included four years in Vegas and a lasting imprint on the Golden Knights early identity. He played 209 games for the team, bringing the sort of edge and physical presence that helped define those first Knights rosters while also chipping in on the scoresheet with 18 goals and 24 assists.
For a fan base that watched the franchise build quickly and lean into its personality from day one, Reaves retirement lands as a reminder of how much that first wave of players meant. He finished his NHL journey with 66 goals, 74 assists and 3,225 hits after a final season split mostly in San Jose, but in Vegas his name still carries the kind of resonance reserved for players who left a mark beyond the box score. [Read more 🡒]