2023 Vegas Golden Knights Offseason Preview
The Vegas Golden Knights are Stanley Cup champions. That saying will never get old. However, what does the road ahead look like for the VGK? Can Vegas find a way to repeat? July 1st will be here before you know it so let’s forecast the road ahead for the VGK. Here is your 2023 Vegas Golden Knights offseason preview!
Free Agents:
Unrestricted free agents: Ivan Barbashev, Teddy Blueger, Phil Kessel, Jonathan Quick, Laurent Brossoit, Adin Hill
Restricted free agents: Brett Howden, Pavel Dorofeyev, Brayden Pachal, Nolan Patrick
- 1: Left Wing
Priority number one for the Vegas Golden Knights has to be bringing back Ivan Barbashev. Trading for Barbashev turned out to be the move of the deadline. Barbashev, 27, notched 16 points in 23 regular season games and another 18 points during the cup run. Barbashev proved to be a perfect fit doing the dirty work on the top line with Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault. It’s imperative Vegas brings him back.
If you take a look at the VGK cap sheet (cap is not officially official yet) it looks like they will have around $3.5 million in space. Any move to bring back Barbashev likely includes dumping Robin Lehner but we’ll get there later. Is there a way Vegas can do something similar to what Colorado did with Valeri Nichushkin? Stretch the deal out over eight years to reduce the cap hit? Barbashev is young enough to where that would make sense. Plus, Vegas has the obvious advantage of being a no state tax team. They can bid less and still technically provide more.
Regardless, the top six left wing spots need to be addressed. Brett Howden could be brought back with the qualifying offer of $1.5 million. Depending on what happens with the rest of the roster, I’m Vegas will oblige there. The only way it probably doesn’t happen is if they need every last dollar to bring Barbashev and the backup goalie spot back.
- 2: Goalie
The emergence of Logan Thompson puts Vegas in the driver seat when it comes to goalie. I think people forget that Thompson made the All-Star team. He’s also carrying an AAV of $766 K. It’s one of the best bargains in the league. It’s also important to remember that this team won the Stanley Cup using five different goalies. Would Jonathan Quick be interested in returning as the third guy? I think that’s something you have to consider.
Still, you have limited space to find that backup goalie. Especially if you’re going to allocate resources to Ivan Barbashev’s return. Vegas has room for one semi priced backup. Given the postseason run he just had, the team would prefer that player to be Adin Hill. There have been reports that Vegas is interested in extending him and Hill’s agent wants to keep him in Sin City. It’s a matter of what the price will be. If Hill prices himself out of town, maybe Laurent Brossoit is willing to return for less. Given the shaky injury history for Brossoit, he probably won’t cost an arm and a leg to keep.
- Other notes:
The team may try to keep Teddy Blueger if he’s willing to take a dirt cheap contract. Nic Roy has been playing 4th line center but he can also move up and down the lineup. Having Blueger in-house as the extra 4th line defensive stopper is a nice luxury to have.
I’d imagine it’s unlikely Phil Kessel returns. Kessel was healthy scratched for most of the postseason and he’s simply not good enough anymore to crack this lineup and keep that Ironman streak alive.
The future contract for Pavel Dorofeyev will likely be easy to take care of. He will likely be extended on a similar minimum deal that Logan Thompson and Paul Cotter received a year ago.
Nolan Patrick seems destined to retire.
2023 NHL Draft ammo
- One first-round pick (32 overall)
- Two third-round picks
- One sixth-round pick
- One seventh-round pick
External Options
It’s really nice to have a champion team and already have virtually that entire group signed for the long haul. It’s the same stuff we have already been over. Find left wing and backup goalie help. That’s all Vegas really needs to do. There is always that chance the VGK get spicy and pull off a trade for a big ticket item like Carter Hart. However, there are some more realistic options available on the free agent market.
Tyler Bertuzzi and Jason Zucker stand out as possible backup options if Vegas loses out on Barbashev. Bertuzzi is a similar player that can do the dirty work but is probably more of a natural playmaker. Given Jack Eichel’s hesitancy to shoot and preference to set up others, I’m not sure he’s as perfect of a fit that Barbashev was. Zucker needs his shot to fall in order to prove worthy but he is a Las Vegas native. Something that could become a factor if Zucker is looking for a new home.
I think Vegas would prefer to keep one of their three impending free agent goalies. If that fails, there is actually a large list of players Vegas could sign instead. I’ll drop that link here. Having Lehner just play is also an alternative.
Future Business
Jonathan Marchessault, William Carrier, Michael Amadio, and Chandler Stephenson need contract extensions. The Marchessault one seems the easiest to take care of given that he and Reilly Smith have made the same amount since they have been in Vegas. Tag Marchy with another $5 million AAV and keep it moving. Stephenson will need a sizeable raise but the cap is going up in a significant way next year so that shouldn’t be too big of a hurdle.
Subscribe to Vendetta’s Twitch
Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube
