Golden Knights Unrelenting In Quest To Win
Trade deadline moves prove Vegas Golden Knights, general manager Kelly McCrimmon do everything they can to win.
Lucas Peltier - USA TODAY Sports - Golden Knights Unrelenting In Quest To WinThe Vegas Golden Knights continue to display an unrelenting nerve in their quest to win another Stanley Cup.
Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon completed three deals at the trade deadline, bolstering the team that stayed pat during free agency this past year.
The secret to completing deals at the deadline?
“We pay,” McCrimmon said. “You know, I think that's part of it. I think we we've made some good deals for other teams as well.”
Sure, the Golden Knights had to lose their captain in the process to open up the cap spaced to acquire players of the talent level of Tomas Hertl, Noah Hanifin and Anthony Mantha. But aside from Stone, the Golden Knights did lose any players from their roster making this deadline, in particular, a more successful one.
McCrimmon said the team had a healthy draft pick, meaning it had draft picks to trade at the deadline.
“We wanted to help our team,” McCrimmon said. “I think the one thing that we do feel strongly about: our players have earned the respect for management to try to help. And I think when you have a room full of champions that it's easy for us to want to prove to the talent and continue to add and try to help and try to put our team in a position to achieve that again. So that was the thought process of the things that went into bringing us to where we are here today.”
Hanifin has been strong for the Golden Knights, tallying two assists in three games with the team. Mantha hasn’t found the same touch, but there is confidence that his game will come around. Hertl hasn’t played for the team, but expects to be back on the ice in a few weeks.
When all the pieces are together, it will be difficult for Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy to decide his lineup. Ultimately, that’s what he’s paid to do. He’ll figure it out.
Either way, the Golden Knights are relentless in their pursuit of winning. They used what resources available to them to make it happen and it will be another fun time to see if Vegas can do what Tampa Bay did in 2020 and 2021 – win back to back Stanley Cups.
“We made our acquisitions. No one came out of our room. We never at any point through this entire process (were going to trade one of our current players),” McCrimmon said. “The trade deadline is a lot more than this week. The trade deadline, you know, keeps me awake for months. So I think that having that behind us is going to be a healthy thing for us as we move on.”
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