Golden Knights mailbag: Eventful trade deadline coming with Kane, Meier available
Meier #Meier
John Locher / AP
San Jose Sharks right wing Timo Meier (28) attempts to skate around Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud (2) during the first period Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Friday, Feb. 24, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Welcome back to the time of year where chaos reigns and the Golden Knights find themselves at the forefront.
Much like years prior, this won’t be any different.
The trade deadline is a week from today, and the Golden Knights, back in first place in the Western Conference, are seemingly open for business, yet again. With captain Mark Stone (back) going on long-term injured reserve, Vegas has close to $8.8 million in salary cap relief to use prior to noon March 3, according to reliable cap source CapFriendly.
Chicago’s Patrick Kane? San Jose’s Timo Meier? The possibilities are complicated, but they are there.
With time of the essence, I thought it’d be a good time to bring back the mailbag and take some of your questions. Thanks to those who submitted them. We’ll try to do another one of these prior to the end of the season. On to your questions, which most of you have the same ideas.
Note: Some of the questions have been edited for clarity.
@vgkcharles: Is Vegas going to trade for Patrick Kane?
There’s no secret that the Golden Knights have some sort of interest in acquiring the three-time Stanley Cup champion. It’s also no secret the Golden Knights would love to add a player of Kane’s caliber to the lineup for this stretch run.
But whether Kane would actually facilitate a trade to Vegas — he controls where he wants to go with his full no-move clause — is the question. Kane may not want to come to Vegas. His heart was set on the New York Rangers before they acquired Vladimir Tarasenko from St. Louis, and while there’s still a chance the Rangers could swing big again, it would take a lot of cap maneuvering on their part.
Getting Kane and his $10.5 million cap hit would require some cap shedding on the Golden Knights’ part, along with sending back considerable draft capital and maybe a prospect. Given that Kane has five goals and an assist in his last three games, perhaps the Blackhawks can capitalize on whatever bump in trade value comes his way.
I have no doubt the Golden Knights will approach — or already have approached — Chicago regarding a Kane trade. Ultimately this time, it comes down to the player, and it wouldn’t shock me if this came down to the final hours a week from today.
@bobbydredwing: Who is their No. 1 target with Stone’s cap relief? Any possibility they acquire Timo Meier?
The other big name in this year’s trade market is Meier, the forward who has 31 goals with the San Jose Sharks and could immediately go on a top line to any contender that wants him.
Reported teams interested are New Jersey, Carolina, St. Louis, Winnipeg, and of course, Vegas. The Golden Knights would love to insert the 26-year-old power forward with an incredible scoring touch into their lineup.
But for all the complications and uncertainty that a trade for Kane would bring, that’s heightened with a potential deal for Meier.
First, and most importantly, the Sharks and Golden Knights are in the same division, If the Sharks are trying to move Meier out, they probably wouldn’t want to trade him within the Pacific Division. Trading him to one of the Central Division clubs in St. Louis or Winnipeg or to one of the Eastern Conference contenders are more ideal.
The Golden Knights would surely have to give up way more than any other team because of the divisional rival factor alone. Shipping one or two prospects, draft picks and maybe even a roster player would be too rich.
The other component is Meier will be an restricted free agent this summer.
Any team trading for Meier won’t want him as a rental. That’s why teams like New Jersey are trying to secure an extension beforehand. If the Golden Knights are going after Meier, they can’t afford to give up that much and not sign him long term.
Trying to land Meier long term would be the cause for more cap-shedding transactions this summer. Alec Martinez, Jonathan Marchessault and perhaps Robin Lehner would be the three that immediately come to mind.
However, the trade Wednesday for Dysin Mayo in exchange for Shea Weber’s contract does give the Golden Knights relief going forward if they want to sign Meier.
In a perfect world, Vegas would love to have Meier. I just can’t see it happening from a San Jose standpoint. That’s why if they’re going big, my guess is it’s Kane.
@HarmlessLurker: Outside of Carolina, who else would be serious contenders/competitors for Kane?
The Dallas Stars are the team for me. If any team is going to make a splash, it’s Dallas. The Western Conference is so wide open right now that I’m almost surprised we haven’t heard Vegas or Dallas lay claim for making the big splash. It’s too quiet.
Kane would be a great fit on the Stars’ third line, and it would move Tyler Seguin back to center as opposed to keeping him at right wing. Going for Meier would also make sense for them, reuniting Pete DeBoer with his former forward.
@SkaMike: If you were GM Kelly McCrimmon, what move would you make?
I’m the kind of general manager that turns on “NHL 23” and tries to make the world burn. I don’t know if I would have that mentality as a real-life general manager, but one can dream.
The realist in me says the Golden Knights should make a move. Not necessarily a big one for a big star, but a depth move. Ivan Barbashev has been linked to Vegas as St. Louis continues its tear-down after trading Ryan O’Reilly and Tarasenko last week.
Barbashev has 28 points in 57 games and would be a good middle-six option, but the consistent play on the third line has helped alleviate that need. It wouldn’t hurt to get someone to challenge the third or fourth line.
The harbinger of chaos in me says that they should go all in because it’s more fun for all of us. And ultimately, fun is what it’s all about.
@mmacnv: Given their play lately, will the front office be able to resist making a move?
The Golden Knights certainly have quieted the doubters coming out of the break with a six-game point streak (5-0-1) and returning to the top of the Western Conference standings going into Thursday night’s game against Calgary. That’s surely one way to ensure McCrimmon and president of hockey operations George McPhee don’t make such a big move.
The question becomes is that sustainable? Defensively, the Golden Knights have played well, holding teams to 12 goals through the last six games while scoring 26. Even with Logan Thompson out, Adin Hill has played well in his four starts (4-0) and Laurent Brossoit looked fantastic making 37 saves Tuesday against Chicago in his first start in almost a year.
When healthy, the Golden Knights are capable of being a tough out in the playoffs. But the argument can be made that with 15 games in 31 days in March, they can’t afford to be short on options who can score. This is why, ultimately, I think they make a move at some point in the next week.
@monica8082702: Do you think VGK will try to move on from Robin Lehner or Laurent Brossoit?
Definitely not Lehner, because he’s not playing this year, and there are no teams that will take on a $5 million cap hit for the next few years on uncertainty. I firmly think Lehner will be back next season on a mission to return to the starter’s net and create healthy competition for him and Thompson.
As for Brossoit, now that he’s back on the NHL roster, I could see it if a team really needed some goaltending depth. I get that being in the AHL is a different competition level, but he’s been playing since November and had stints where he looked great with the Silver Knights.
Ultimately, I don’t see a trade happening. There’s no roster limit after the trade deadline, and Vegas could keep all three of Brossoit, Thompson and Hill if it wanted.
@tdoug23: What prospects or picks are on the table for a potential trade? Or are they looking at a roster player?
After the Mayo trade, the Golden Knights have a total of five draft picks for 2023; their first-round pick, two third-round picks (one from Buffalo via the Jack Eichel trade), a sixth-round and seventh-round selection. The cupboard is now extremely bare for any activity they want to do this summer.
But the Golden Knights have been in the business of trying to win the Stanley Cup, and prior champions have indicated the first-round pick is almost always on the table in trade talks. If Vegas makes a deal, that first-round pick is certainly in play.
As for prospects, if it’s Meier, I would almost guess Brendan Brisson or Kaedan Korczak are involved. If not Korczak, then Lukas Cormier has to be a talking point for San Jose. With Chicago, you might be able to get away with a combination of picks and maybe Zach Dean or Ivan Morozov. I don’t think a roster player is in play if the Golden Knights don’t have to subtract from the NHL roster.
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.