In the words of Chris Jericho, “I’m baaaaack baaaaaaby!” and free agency is right around the corner! Wrestling is still cool, right? I digress...
This is the hard part of the job for General Managers, choosing who to resign and who to bid farewell. As the team’s GM, you’re naturally drawn to your own players, enjoying multiple things, both on and off ice, about each player on your team. Most of the time, you are the sole reason they are on your team to begin with. This sentiment fully applies to George McPhee, the GM of the Vegas Golden Knights. As the only GM (until September 1, 2019) in the history of the expansion team, he is directly responsible for each player’s arrival in Las Vegas.
George McPhee (USA Today Sports)
Unfortunately for McPhee, he had to make tough decisions last summer, allowing some of his inaugural roster players to move on and play for (or win a Stanley Cup with) new teams. Most notably, David Perron and James Neal became one-year rentals for the Golden Knights, as both headed to St. Louis and Calgary, respectively. McPhee knows that both are good, serviceable players, but he had tough decisions to make and can’t keep every player, on a desirable contract. While losing Perron was tough, the Neal departure seems to have been smart. Players will come and go, just enjoy them while they’re around. One out of two ain’t bad.
David Perron hoisting the Stanley Cup(USA Today Sports)
This summer, his last as the GM of the Golden Knights, McPhee has a solid list of free agents that he would certainly like to keep around and others would love to poach. McPhee has quite the list of expired contracts ranging from breakout star William Karlsson, to integral back-up netminder Malcolm Subban, to two of his three assistant captains. On top of the wide-ranging list of new free agents, the Golden Knights find themselves in a cap crunch, with a high payroll on the books for next season, before taking these restricted and unrestricted free agents into account.
Due to the cap crunch, roster limitations, and a need for a change, the Golden Knights can’t simply re-sign every in-house free agent. Prioritizing your assets is extremely important for an NHL GM and within this article, we will attempt do just that. Who knows, maybe Mr. McPhee could use some help because he has tough decisions to make before handing the reins over to Kelly McCrimmon in September.
Below, the notable free agents will be quickly summarized and prioritized on a 1 to 10 scale. The list is in descending priority order based on the player’s contributions to the team, their potential cap hits, and subsequent moves needed to remain cap compliant.
Impending Free Agents
William Karlsson, C
(RFA) Last Contract: One Year @ $5.25 million
Priority: 8 out of 10
William Karlsson scoring (USA Today Sports)
Karlsson came into Vegas as a mostly under-the-radar type player. In his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, he was not much of a point producer, with a career-high of 25 points through his first two full NHL seasons. His third season in the NHL and first with the Golden Knights, went much better than anyone would have hoped. He put up a staggering 43 goal, 78 point season cementing himself as the number one center, alongside the Florida transplants, Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith. That line was one of the best in the entire league and despite a “down season” in 2018-19, remain an effective and integral part of the team. Without Karlsson, the Golden Knights could decide to promote either Erik Haula or Cody Eakin to 1C, but while talented, they profile better as middle six centers. Helping matters, the Golden Knights always have the Paul Stastny line to fall back on and they can be utilized as the de facto top-line. Although their contingency options aren’t bad, bringing back Vegas’ favorite Swede is the smart move. Give him the long-term deal and figure out how to make the finances work.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, C/LW
(UFA) Last Contract: Two Years, $1.45 million per
Priority: 7/10
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare gives his all (USA Today Sports)
Bellemare doesn’t have the Karlsson point totals or the luscious long golden hair, but the free-agent center is quite the looker in his own right and is also very important for the Golden Knights to retain. Their center depth is quite strong, but Bellemare brings intangibles and a low cap hit that every team needs. With Haula ($2.75 million), Eakin ($3.85 million), and Stastny ($6.25 million) on the roster, it looks at first glance, that the need for a center is filled, by retaining Karlsson. In order to make the salary cap work, the team will need to move salary out the door via trade and Eakin could be sent off for draft picks. Bringing back Bellemare at a low-cap hit is smart, both financially and philosophically.
Bellemare is easily one of the most recognizable leaders on the team. His demeanor in the locker room and on the ice are infectious. He’s a hard-worker who romanticizes the less sexy parts of the game (faceoffs, penalty-killing, and territorial control). He fully embraces his role as a fouth-liner and penalty-killer, describing faceoffs as “an art”. He is one of the assistant captains of the team, who also donned the A prior to his arrival, with the Philadelphia Flyers. At the end of the season, Bellemare disclosed that a one-year deal is “not what I am looking for”. McPhee bringing the 34-year-old back on a two- or three-year deal at $1.5 million per is a win for the Golden Knights. If Eakin stays he, Haula, or Bellemare could slide to the wing.
Nikita Gusev, LW
(RFA) Last Contract: One Year, $925k
Priority: 7/10
Nikita Gusev with Team Russia (USA Today Sports)
Gusev could very well be a future all-star in the NHL. There is also a chance he can follow in the footsteps of former teammate Vadim Shipachyov, struggle to adjust to the North American game, and defect back to Russia. Gusev has always shown high-level talent and recently proved his desire to play in the NHL when he came to Vegas at the end of the KHL season. Acquired from Tampa during the expansion draft, Gusev is believed to be a lock for the third-line left wing slot next season. Settling on an appropriate dollar amount will be important because he does have the bargaining chip to simply return to the KHL for good money.
As of now, he seems set on proving his talent will translate to the NHL. In the 2019 IIHF World Championships, Gusev showed just how good he is, playing amongst the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Alexander Ovechkin, and Yevgeni Kuznetsov. Gusev has never seemed out of place among those elite NHL forwards, but the puck-carrier certainly benefits from the bigger ice surfaced used internationally. Projecting his first NHL season is hard to do, but all signs point toward him being effective, more so than his comrade Shipachyov.
Malcolm Subban, G
(RFA) Last Contract: Two Years, $650k
Priority: 5/10
Malcolm Subban (USA Today Sports)
As much as Subban is well-liked and an ultra-athletic backstop, he can be easily replaced by numerous career back-up netminders. Marc-Andre Fleury, the face of the franchise, is under contract for another three seasons and will certainly play a large majority of the games. At 34-years-old, he is an injury risk, which makes a solid back-up a necessity, but that could be anyone. Subban’s appeal is in that he could be ready to be “the guy” for a team within the next year or two, but that wouldn’t be his career path in Vegas. If Fleury were to go down for a prolonged period (again), the young, able-bodied Subban is a great luxury, as he proved just last season. Fact of the matter is, for the Golden Knights, any back-up is usable, although Subban is one of the best options out there.
Deryk Engelland, D
(UFA) Last Contract: One Year, $1.5 million (cap hit)
Priority: 2/10
Deryk Engelland (USA Today Sports)
There’s no denying that the assistant captain and Vegas resident had a big impact in his first two years with the club. He is a fan-favorite, whose words in the face of tragedy lifted the spirits of some Golden Knights fans. He seems like a genuinely good guy, who fell into the perfect scenario. As a team guy, there’s no disputing his worth to the club and select portions of the fan base. What he has done for the city is admirable and he will be remembered for a very long time by his fans in Vegas.
Stepping away from the off-ice contributions, it is plain to see that Engelland was the weak link on the Golden Knights blue line last season. Inexplicably, he was utilized as a top-pair defenseman down the stretch, alongside the team’s best defenseman in Nate Schmidt. Schmidt’s game seemed to change for the worse when Engelland took Brayden McNabb’s spot across the blue line. Engelland provides very little offense or transition game, which is something the Golden Knights need in his spot. He has career bests of six goals (2013-14) and 23 points (2017-18) which show his low offensive ceiling.
As a stay-at home defenseman, he is far too susceptible to defensive-zone gaffes, none more costly than losing track of the backside forward on the penalty kill. He has done a decent job thus far, but can and should be replaced by either Jimmy Schuldt, Nic Hauge, or Zach Whitecloud next season. Although he is a folk hero among the fans, the Golden Knights need to look for more productivity in their lineup. Engelland has expressed a desire to play and preferably in Vegas, but the 37-year-old blueliner projects as little more than a seventh defenseman, if he were brought back.
Each of these decisions will come with consequences. The more money McPhee gives out, the more assets he needs to trade away to fit the salary cap. It will be interesting to see who gets brought back and where the others end up. Role players including Tomas Nosek, Brandon Pirri, and Ryan Carpenter are also up for new deals, but are ultimately replaceable. Tracking Vegas’ roster construction through the summer will be a blast, as we come up on the 2019 Entry Draft on June 21. McPhee’s last offseason as the GM will certainly be an eventful one. Keep all hands, arms, and feet inside the vehicle because this will be a bumpy ride!
Let's see what you guys think. Vote below for your most important VGK returnee, but you don't get to take the easy way out and pick Wild Bill or the Goose!
Which non-Karlsson Golden Knights Free Agent is the most important to bring back next season?
Be sure to follow me on the Twitter for VGK news, analysis, and updates. The draft will be June 21-22 with Golden Knights development camp the following week, preceding the start of Free Agency. Follow @VGK_Buzz
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