Alec Martinez: Is His Golden Knights Tenure Over?
Last year when the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup, I argued that Alec Martinez should retire. Instead, Martinez returned in an attempt to defend the cup with the VGK. The problem is that Vegas essentially retired him when they pulled the trigger on the Noah Hanifin trade.
Ultimately, Vegas came up just short to a Stars team that seems destined to win the Cup. When the Knights were leaving the rink in Dallas, you couldn’t help but feel for Martinez as he stayed on the ice a little longer looking around. He knows his time with Vegas could very well be coming to a close.
That’s exactly what I want to talk about. Is this really the last time we saw Martinez suit up for the VGK?
We know all about Vegas’ cap crunch this offseason. I broke it down in a video immediately after the shocking trade deadline action.
In reality, Martinez has three choices he can make this upcoming Summer.
A: Retire (I’d argue this should be considered when you factor in that Martinez had the worst on-ice expected goal share – 44.99% of any defensemen on the team last year)
B: Sign for more money elsewhere. I’m sure he can get a one year deal for $3 million from somebody. The guy is a menace in terms of blocking shots and brings leadership to the table. That option will probably be on the table for him.
It’s option C that every Vegas fan should be hoping and praying for. How much does Martinez love playing for the Golden Knights? That’s the real question. Is he willing to do what Mark Giordano did for the Leafs? When you look at the Giordano deal, it was a two year deal for an $800k AAV that covered his age 39 and 40 seasons. Martinez turns 37 in July and I’m sure a similar deal would be on the table from a VGK perspective. Plus, I’m not sure Martinez is an 82 game player at this point. That kind of deal would allow the team to plug him in sporadically while making sure he’s fresh for another postseason run.
Of course, this is best case scenario. I’m just not sure it can be totally discounted. Keep in mind that the Golden Knights have the ultimate advantage of having no state tax. If Martinez doesn’t get a lucrative offer elsewhere and wants to keep playing, that kind of deal could be on the table. I’m just not sure it’s totally realistic. However, there is no question it best benefits the team who we all know as an organization Vegas has valued its blue line more than anything. To have Martinez and Ben Hutton as the 7th and 8th D back in the fold, I’m sure Kelly McCrimmon would love for that exact scenario to play out.
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