NHL trade deadline looms, keeping Golden Knights players on edge

By Justin Emerson

Monday, Feb. 25, 2019 | 2 a.m.

William Karlsson remembers when he was traded. The Golden Knights forward woke up on a March morning in 2015 an Anaheim Duck and went to bed a Columbus Blue Jacket and had no idea it was going to happen.

“I remember being really shocked when it happened. Couldn’t really believe it,” Karlsson said. “You don’t think you’re going to get traded and in this business, you never know. I learned it that way.”

It’s not a unique tale, and Karlsson is one of three Golden Knights who have been dealt at the NHL trade deadline, which is noon today. Vegas is notoriously tight-lipped about personnel moves, but if a player is traded and it’s anything like their teammates’ experiences, they won’t see it coming.

It leads to some nerves in the dressing room this time of year.

“Guys should always be nervous about getting traded,” said forward Paul Stastny, who was traded from St. Louis to Winnipeg at last year’s deadline. “No one is untouchable in this league — it doesn’t matter who you are.”

Stastny had more of a reason to be calm because of his no-trade clause. He had to OK his deal, so St. Louis needed to keep him in the loop before anything with Winnipeg was finalized.

“I didn’t hear rumors but I knew what was going on behind the scenes,” Stastny said.

Karlsson was watching a trade deadline special on TV and Ryan Reaves was on Twitter. Neither had any contractual protection, so neither had any say in getting shipped across the country.

“There was a tweet that said it looks like Reaves is going to Vegas, but right after that it said not confirmed or something,” Reaves said. “Then the (general manager) came in and told me I was going there.”

The Golden Knights project to have about $17 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly. That gives them flexibility to go after one of the big fish (Ottawa’s Mark Stone), a big body who could boost their power play (Philadelphia’s Wayne Simmonds) or perhaps a depth piece who could slide onto their third line and make an impact in the playoffs (Carolina’s Micheal Ferland).

We’ll know by noon today.

“They do their work upstairs and if something is going on, they’ll come down and talk to me about it,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “I worry about the guys I got here, and if something happens we’ll adjust.”