In true Vegas fashion, the Golden Knights made their trade deadline splashes in the final hour. Two integral moves were made just before the 12pm Pacific deadline by first-year GM Kelly McCrimmon, making the Vegas Golden Knights stronger than they were a mere week ago.
Last season, then-GM George McPhee brought Sin City Mark Stone, the prize of the 2018-19 trade deadline. He was instantly inked to a contract extension, making him the most richly paid Golden Knight of all-time. Now operating as the main GM, under McPhee, McCrimmon didn't let the fans down in his first go at the NHL Trade Deadline.
Before we get to deadline day, it's important to recap some of McCrimmon's posturing moves. Alec Martinez - and his $4 million cap hit - was acquired on Feb 19, from the Los Angeles Kings, for a 2020 and 2021 second-round draft pick. His experience, heads-up two-way play, and leadership were reasons for the move.
While that's all well and good, the Golden Knights are a team with a decently high payroll. They've been guilty of season-long salary cap maneuvering and this big deal put them right up against the number.
Another move had to be coming.
Two days later (Feb 21), Center Cody Eakin - $3.85 million cap hit - were dealt to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a conditional 2021 fourth-round draft pick. The silver-lining for the Day One Golden Knights was that Eakin at least got sent to his hometown. He shared a sentimental Twitter photo of his tatoo, displaying the connection he made with Vegas.
With those trades essentially balancing out financially, McCrimmon and the Golden Knights set their sights on deadline day.
11:00am: Still no movement from the Golden Knights. Many pundits began thinking of how an aggressive, win-now team could be standing pat on deadline day. In that hour and the minutes following the official deadline, McCrimmon dropped the mic.
Oft-abused backup goaltender Malcolm Subban was essentially shown the door when the Golden Knights acquired an elite goaltender in Robin Lehner. The former Blackhawk (2019-20) and Islander (2018-19) comes with solid numbers, trumping those of incumbent starter Marc-Andre Fleury, despite playing on a lesser team.
2019-20 Statistics:
Fleury: 2.79 GAA, .906 SV %, -4.35 GSAA
Lehner: 3.01 GAA, .918 SV%, 10.74 GSAA
Lehner is no stranger to tandems and this will be one of the best in the NHL. Only the Arizona Coyotes (Kuemper-Raanta), Boston Bruins (Rask-Halak), New York Islanders (Greiss-Varlamov), St. Louis Blues (Binnington-Allen), and maybe New York Rangers (Georgiev-Shesterkin-Lundqvist) can make a better case for their goalie combos. It's tough to tell who will be the man, but of Fleury falters, his replacement will be more than able.
In order to make the money work, there were other pieces in the Lehner deal. Subban, Slava Demin (a VGK, NCAA defense prospect), and a 2020 second-round draft pick went to the Blackhawks in return for Lehner. For financial reasons, the Toronto Maple Leafs were a middle-man, retaining a portion of Lehner's salary in exchange for the Golden Knights' 2020 fifth-round pick and unloading forward Martins Dzierkals.
Once the Lehner deal was all ironed out, McCrimmon went to phase three: improving the offense. He struck a great deal with the Montreal Canadiens, bringing in fiesty forward Nick Cousins for a cost-effective 2021 fourth-rounder. Cousins instantly helps solidify the bottom-six with more skill, without sacrificing physicality and tenacity.
Upgrades:
Offense: Cousins
Defense: Martinez
Goaltending: Lehner
McCrimmon made changes in all three areas, with the belief the team is better off now than before. The team is playing their best hockey of the season, under the guidance of Pete DeBoer, and Martinez has hit the ground running, with two goals in three games. Tonight's contest with the Edmonton Oilers (who are on the back half of a back-to-back) will show what Cousins brings to the table. While Lehner will sit for this one, it's wise to expect to see him in net far more often than Subban.
McCrimmon made it clear that they felt they couldn't win playoff games if an injury to Marc-Andre Fleury occured. Lehner was acquired as the insurance policy and a pretty good one at that. With an expiring contract and a looming raise, it could be a short yet rewarding Vegas Vacation for the goaltender. Very quickly, the Golden Knights have gone from volatility and question marks, to leading the Pacific Division with reinforcements on the way.
For the second-straight season the Vegas Golden Knights have won at the trade deadline. A new GM is at the helm, but the results have held true. After all, Vegas is the home of the best wheelin-and-dealin across our great nation.
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