How Vegas Could Sign Mitch Marner Without Trading Anyone

How Vegas Could Sign Mitch Marner Without Trading Anyone

The NHL offseason rumors are already running wild. Every day I go online, I see another ridiculous rumor about how the Golden Knights are going to trade away player X to acquire Mitch Marner. On the surface, you see where these people are going, given that Vegas enters the offseason with just $9.6 million in cap space. Obviously, not enough to land what Marner will command on the open market.

Except these people are forgetting one thing. This is Vegas. They are LTIR cheese, and another one is coming.

Reports have surfaced that Vegas is seeking clarity on where they stand cap space wise due to Alex Pietrangelo’s questionable health status. We’re not 100% sure what’s wrong with him, but it was obvious he didn’t look right all season and mysteriously skipped the 4 Nations tournament.

You already know how this front office is going to play out that situation. They have seven D under contract right now, and that’s not including RFA Nic Hague. Ben Hutton and Kaedan Korczak have both performed admirably when called upon. If that’s your new third pair while Pietrangelo recovers in time for the postseason, the VGK will hold serve just fine.

This is about having Pietrangelo’s extra $8.8 million to work with. Also, roughly the same number, the cap will spike up to the following year when it reaches $104 million. It’s very possible Vegas does their heavy lifting this offseason and then uses the cap increase the following year to simply give Jack Eichel and Pavel Dorofeyev their well-deserved raises.

Mitch Marner: Is Vegas A Realistic Free Agent Landing Spot?

In reality, with Pietrangelo’s number on LTIR, Vegas has roughly $18.5 million in cap space. A number that could even climb if they want to tear a small piece off the roster like Nic Roy. It’s not about whether they can sign Marner. It’s about whether another big fish is coming with him. If and when this happens, don’t say I didn’t try to warn you.

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