The Vegas Golden Knights are focusing on free agents.Now that free agency is just over a month away, organizations are anticipating its opening. In addition to numerous teams having important restricted free agents that need to resign, a number of impact players will be available on the open market in July. We’ll wrap off our tour of the NHL with a summary of the Vegas Golden Knights’ free-agent landscape.
Important restricted free agents
F Pavel Dorofeyev—This season, Dorofeyev made the much-awaited transition to the NHL by playing the whole season for the first time in his career with the Golden Knights. Despite missing five weeks of action in February and March because of an upper-body ailment, Dorofeyev managed to play in 47 NHL games this season, which is a career high. He took full advantage of the chance, contributing 24 assists and 13 goals while establishing himself as a regular member of the team’s power play. Since arriving in North America in 2020, the Russian winger has been a top option for Vegas’ lineups as the biggest breakout prospect. He was just barely out of a true
“breakout” this season, but he appeared to be much better acclimated to the NHL and shown an amazing goal-scoring talent. That probably sets him up for a quick, low-cost contract, but he’s also probably due for a little bump from the $925,000 he made on his entry-level deal. With their cap space at an all-time low, Dorofeyev appears to be the closest thing Vegas has to a definite re-signing. Next season, he hopes to make a lasting impression in Vegas by having a healthy year.
D Kaedan Korczak: With Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, Nicolas Hague, and Zach Whitecloud all missing a substantial amount of time due to injury, Korczak was Vegas’ go-to call-up when they needed defense support this season. It was because of such absences that Korczak was able to play in 26 games. During his formal rookie season, Korczak recorded one goal and nine points, maintaining the same scoring total through 26 AHL games. This season, Korczak stood tall when called upon, but he didn’t do sufficient to merit a regular role. That ought to land him another cheap, short-term deal, though in the unlikely event that one of Vegas’ seven NHL defensemen is unable to return, he might get more ice time.
Important unconstrained players
F Theodore Marchessault After a brilliant 75-point performance in his debut season with the Golden Knights, Marchessault inked a big six-year, $30 million contract with the organization in 2018. In the six seasons that have passed after his signing, he has worked to establish himself as one of Vegas’ first genuine icons. He has managed to have a significant effect on every season and won the 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy as part of Vegas’ historic first Stanley Cup victory. Marchessault, however, left the best for last—scoring a career-high 42 goals en route to 69 points in 82 games this season—despite all of those accolades. The only other Golden Knight to reach the 40-goal milestone is William Karlsson, who scored 43 goals in the 2017–18 campaign. Marchessault, who is 33 years old, is still valuable because of this, and this fact should help him get a tough boost from his prior $5 million pay. If Vegas intended to bring Marchessault back, they would have to make some cap-clearing moves. With such a carefully thought-out roster, though, Marchessault may be about to make his final exit from the team where he has left his mark.
F. Chandler Stephenson Vegas will watch in agony as they issue the last paycheck for Stephenson’s $11 million, four-year contract that was inked in 2020. Stephenson signed a contract with a $2.75 million cap charge, which rapidly turned into one of the NHL’s most team-friendly deals as he cemented his firm position in the middle of the team’s lineup. He has continued to be reliable in every facet of the game, scoring 51 points in 75 games this year after scoring 64 and 65 in the previous two seasons and continuing to be a formidable force on the puck’s defensive end. You never know what kind of price he’ll set for a new contract. Stephenson still has a lot of hockey left in him at thirty. This, together with his potent scoring and versatile presence, may justify a price tag of up to $5 million; but, he might accept a different team-friendly contract in order to remain with the group that has helped shape his career. However, Stephenson’s free-agency market is already expanding, and the prospect of a more lavish pay could tempt him to leave Sin City. Should he decide to go that route, he will be among Vegas’ largest losses.
F Anthony Mantha: With the trade deadline drawing near, Mantha didn’t seem to be given much care. Even with the Washington Capitals, where he finished with 20 goals and 34 points in 56 games, Mantha was unable to command a high enough trade return. Just before the deadline, he was transferred to Vegas for a 2024 second round selection and a 2026 fourth round pick; he made his debut on March 7th with Vegas. Mantha went on to score 10 points in the remaining 18 regular season games. Mantha’s highest scoring since his 25 goals and 48 points in the 2018–19 season was reached with 23 goals and 44 points in 74 games as a result. Even while it isn’t particularly high scoring, it was sufficient for Mantha to appear at ease in an offense under Bruce Cassidy’s direction that supported his aggressive, shoot-first style. Mantha may be invited back by Vegas due to his compatibility with the team’s philosophy and his ability to contribute in a third-line role despite his inconsistent play, however he will have to accept a lower salary than his prior $5.7M cap hit. Also, his aesthetic might be a little too similar to that of Dorofeyev, the younger (and probably less expensive) choice. Should Mantha enter an open market crowded with reasonably priced goal scorers, he will need to sell his worth to teams.
G Jiri Patera: After starting six NHL games this season, Jiri Patera is Vegas’ lone Group VI free agent this summer. In seven appearances, he recorded a modest.893 save percentage to go along with his 11 victories and.903 save percentage in 25 AHL games. With such numbers, Patera ought to be able to negotiate a contract that is almost at league minimum and return to the AHL as a starter in the race for an NHL roster spot. Even if the team currently has Adin Hill, Logan Thompson, Jesper Vikman, and Carl Lindbom committed to their goalkeeper room, that may still happen with Vegas. Patera would otherwise be free to go around without any restrictions, but that room might be a little too packed for him.
anticipated cap space
The tale of Vegas’ offseason revolves on cap space that is extremely limited. Their available cap space is little around $900K as we head into the summer. That’s primarily because, following his trade deadline move in which he kept 75% of his salary, Noah Hanifin’s eight-year, $58.8M contract extension went into effect. This increased his cap cost from his prorated $1.2375M cap hit with Vegas this season by over $6M. Though fans have been duped into believing so repeatedly, it appears like Vegas is now catching up to its constant addition of high-end, celebrity talent. Marchessault and Stephenson are the two notable UFAs that the Golden Knights are most certainly going to lose. However, they may be able to acquire enough salary space by moving a costly forward like Nicolas Roy or a depth defenseman like Brayden McNabb.
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