3 Golden Knights Most Likely to be Traded Before Free Agency

Here’s the fact of the matter: between 2023 and 2025, the Golden Knights lost too many proven scorers. Most notably, Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson, but even Michael Amadio was good for five goals and 10 points during the 2023 Stanley Cup run.

And, yes, those players walked in Free Agency. They were signed to hefty contracts the Golden Knights couldn’t— and shouldn’t, quite frankly— have offered. They couldn’t afford to give Stephenson the seven-year, $6 million contract that he received from the Seattle Kraken. And while Marchessault’s goalscoring is missed, his 2024-25 campaign with the Nashville Predators validated Kelly McCrimmon’s hesitancy to give him the term he wanted. 

The crime lies in that the Golden Knights haven’t done enough to try and replace them. 

Oh, the Tomáš Hertl trade was a good one. But part of Stephenson’s efficiency lay in the one thing Hertl cannot offer: speed. And Pavel Dorofeyev cemented himself as a goalscorer during the regular season, but expecting the 24-year-old to produce up to the level of Conn Smythe-winning Marchessault was a risky gamble that didn’t quite pay off. 

That’s where Free Agency comes in. Mitch Marner, who reportedly is interested in Vegas, is obviously the cream of the crop. But below Marner, there’s a second tier of high-end players containing the likes of Brock Boeser and Nikolaj Ehlers. 

At present, with $9.615 million in salary cap space, the Golden Knights cannot realistically afford to sign one of them. Boeser and Ehlers will likely want a deal around the $8 million range, and Marner will command at least $12.5 million. So, signing Boeser or Ehlers would put them right at the salary cap ceiling; Marner would put them over. 

With the way the Golden Knights exited the postseason with a whimper, I could see general manager Kelly McCrimmon getting trigger-happy in the coming weeks. But if they want to make a splash in Free Agency, they’ll need some salary cap wiggle room to do so. 

There are three Golden Knights who I think are most likely to be traded. 

Ivan Barbashev

If the Golden Knights want to spend in Free Agency, Ivan Barbashev could easily be a cap casualty. He’s the fifth-highest-paid forward on the roster, making $5 million for the next three seasons. And this postseason, with just one goal and two points in 11 games, his offensive production didn’t reflect that.

Barbashev is a good player, but his style of play is very complimentary. He can finish plays, and he’s a solid third on a scoring line. That type of player is important. But with all their offensive deficiencies, the Golden Knights certainly can’t afford to pay one what they’re paying Barbashev. 

Jack Eichel is an elite playmaker. He generates scoring chances at will, but no one can finish them; this has been the case for two consecutive postseasons. And Barbashev, who’s become a fixture on Eichel’s line, has just one goal in his last 18 postseason games. 

In 2024, the Golden Knights’ season ended because they couldn’t score when it mattered most; the same thing happened this year. Moving on from Barbashev seems like the most likely outcome and the quickest way to shed salary. 

Zach Whitecloud

I’d like to preface this by saying that I like Zach Whitecloud’s game quite a bit. He’s strong, he’s a smooth skater, and he moves the puck fairly well. And he has three years left at just $2.75 million. Essentially, he’s the perfect bottom-pairing defenseman. 

But with $27.225 million tied up in their top-four of Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, Alex Pietrangelo, and Noah Hanifin, Whitecloud is a luxury the Golden Knights can’t afford.

Whitecloud is also the only defenseman under contract that doesn’t have a No Trade Clause. In addition, the Golden Knights have two cheaper in-house replacements in Ben Hutton and Kaedan Korczak. It feels like the writing is on the walls there.

Now, moving Whitecloud would give the Golden Knights some wiggle room if they wanted to sign Boeser or Ehlers, but they wouldn’t have the cap space required to offer Marner a deal. If they want Marner, they’d have to ship out another similarly salaried player.

Someone like…

Nic Roy

Similarly to Whitecloud, I like Nic Roy’s game. He’s a strong, sturdy bottom-six center with soft hands and a good defensive awareness. When asked, he can slide up into the top-six. Roy has two years left on his $3 million contract, and he’s only 28.

However, those qualities would make him attractive to other general managers. And because this year’s Free Agent crop of centers is weak, there will be a number of teams looking to add one via trade. 

Because the Golden Knights are so strong down the middle with Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and Tomáš Hertl, there isn’t much of an opportunity for Roy to step into an elevated role. And if the last two years have proven anything, it’s that the Golden Knights need more offense. Thus, they just can’t afford to pay their fourth-line center $3 million.