The Vegas Golden Knights are heading into the summer with more than a little unfinished business.
After reaching the Stanley Cup Final last season and falling to the Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas could have taken a step back and treated the offseason like a breather. Instead, the expectation around the team is that the action is just getting started.
That’s the read from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, who said on the latest episode of the “32 Thoughts” podcast that this won’t be a quiet stretch for the Golden Knights.
“This is not going to be a quiet summer. There's going to be tremors, and maybe even earthquakes, all the way through.
And this is one team that I don't think we've heard the last of. At least I think they'll try,” Friedman said.
Friedman didn’t attach a long list of names to Vegas, but he did point to Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin as a possible target.
“I still think, Kyle, that they will be trying to do something. Whether it's Larkin or it's something else, I don't think we- it's just not their DNA.”
The Larkin talk has been building for a while. A few days earlier, TSN sportscaster Darren Dreger had already pegged the Detroit captain as a strong fit for the Golden Knights.
And the speculation didn’t start with the media. Friedman said Larkin asked for a trade on June 4, with The Canadian Press, via TSN, reporting that the Red Wings captain identified Vegas, the Minnesota Wild, and the Florida Panthers as his three preferred landing spots.
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The bigger issue is that any major swing still has to line up with what Detroit would actually want back, and that is where the path gets murky. Analysts and insiders have pointed to the Golden Knights financial constraints and roster limitations as real hurdles, and with the trade deadline still ahead, this remains one of those situations that could look very different depending on how the market develops. [Read more 🡒]
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Piiparinen filled out a questionnaire during the week, and the answers helped sketch out a little more of his personality and hockey taste. From the players and moments he singled out to the small personal details he shared, it was the kind of glimpse that makes a young prospect feel a little more real, even if the biggest parts of his story in Vegas are still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
