Bruce Cassidy, right, head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, responds to a question during a news conference with Kelly McCrimmon, general manager of the Vegas Golden Knights, at City National Arena in Las Vegas Thursday, June 16, 2022.
Monday, July 25, 2022 | 2 a.m.
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There’s a giant question mark in the spot where Max Pacioretty once occupied the Golden Knights’ lineup.
Following Wednesday’s surprising trade that sent Pacioretty and defenseman Dylan Coghlan to the Carolina Hurricanes for future considerations, Vegas is down its top goal scorer and first-line forward.
Those are two important positions that new coach Bruce Cassidy will have to mull over when training camp starts in two months.
“There’s lots of able guys in the lineup to score,” Cassidy said. “You’re going to miss, especially, [Pacioretty’s] 5-on-5 scoring. I’m not saying you automatically replace him, but maybe it’s by committee, maybe there’s some younger guys that push through.”
The roster is by no means finalized. Restricted free agents Nicolas Roy, Keegan Kolesar and Nic Hague — three mainstays in last season's lineup — are still in need of new contracts.
The Golden Knights are almost $1.4 million over the cap, according to salary cap resource Cap Friendly, but can exceed the cap by $6.4 million once Shea Weber’s contract officially moves to long-term injured reserve. That should give Vegas the needed wiggle room to get its remaining deals done. There's also a possibility with Nolan Patrick's unknown status that he could also land on LTIR when the season starts.
Moving on from Pacioretty was the best way to clear cap room, but also the most difficult. It might have been easier to move on from Alec Martinez and his $5.25 million cap hit on a crowded defense, or one of the centers (likely William Karlsson) to clear the depth chart down the middle.
Instead, general manager Kelly McCrimmon chose to move on from their weakest part of the lineup and rely on the organization's depth. There’s the possibility of another free agent signing, but overall not likely.
Assuming that Roy, Hague and Kolesar are all signed, here’s a very early projection on how the lineup could look:
Jonathan Marchessault – Jack Eichel – Mark Stone
Nicolas Roy – William Karlsson – Reilly Smith
Brendan Brisson – Chandler Stephenson – Michael Amadio
William Carrier – Brett Howden – Keegan Kolesar
Nicolas Hague – Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb – Shea Theodore
Alec Martinez – Zach Whitecloud
Robin Lehner/Logan Thompson/Laurent Brossoit/Michael Hutchinson
Scratched: Ben Hutton
The first noticeable change is the ‘Misfit Line’ is broken up.
Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith have been the constant in Vegas. Keeping Smith around — signing him to a three-year extension on Wednesday — was important to him and the organization.
“I love playing with those guys,” Smith said. “They’re two great people, two great players. Hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to play a lot with them this upcoming season.”
But given the roster's current look, that line staying together isn’t a guarantee.
Marchessault led the team with 30 goals last season and would be the most realistic fit at the top with Jack Eichel and Mark Stone. That would fill the scoring need in the short term.
As for replacing Marchessault at second-line left wing, that could be a spot for Roy, deserving of an higher role after a career-high 39 points last season. He’s best suited at center and is the best on the roster at taking faceoffs, but showed a scoring touch with 15 goals last season that could allow him a switch to the wing.
While Cassidy understands the chemistry between the three since the first year, he showed in Boston that he's not opposed to shaking things up. He had one of the best top lines in the league with Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak.
Cassidy moved Pastrnak, who had 40 goals last year, to the second line to balance out the top six. Don’t be surprised if that’s his approach with the Karlsson line.
“Too soon to tell,” Cassidy said. “I think once we have our roster finalized, ask me again in camp. They know how to play with one another, so what you’ll probably see is them spread out a little bit early on, see how that works, and if it doesn’t work, you always have something to go back to.”
While he didn’t impress during development camp, Pacioretty's departure increases the chance that top prospect Brendan Brisson makes the opening night roster. Brisson, best known for his shooting ability, would be an ideal linemate for Chandler Stephenson coming off a career-high 64 points. Given that Stephenson played on the wing in spurts last season, there's a chance he plays with Eichel and Stone, as well.
Jake Leschyshyn and Jonas Rondbjerg also saw extended time last season due to the myriad of injuries. Both could push for roster spots during training camp, too.
The defensemen picture is clearer after moving Coghlan, but the combinations are not set in stone either. Martinez could move back to the top pair with Pietrangelo – his spot before sustaining the facial laceration that cost him more than 50 games last season – and put Hague back in a familiar spot with Zach Whitecloud.
“I’m not sure where Kelly’s going with the roster. There’s still free agency period. Only he can answer that,” Cassidy said. “But when we’re healthy, there’s a lot of guys in the room that can pick up the slack and younger guys who can hopefully are relishing the opportunity.”
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
