The NHL and the NHLPA agreed to raise the salary cap to $88M instead of the projected $87.7M giving the Vegas Golden Knights and the rest of the league an additional $300,000 worth of cap space.
The NHL and the NHLPA agreed to raise the salary cap to $88M instead of the projected $87.7M giving the Vegas Golden Knights and the rest of the league an additional $300,000 worth of cap space.
The Golden Knights are one of the teams pressed to the cap limit and have multiple pending UFAs and RFAs to sign this offseason.
The list of UFAs includes Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson, Michael Amadio, William Carrier, Anthony Mantha and Alec Martinez. The RFAs are highlighted by Pavel Dorofeyev and Kaedan Korzcak.
To say the Golden Knights are in a difficult situation would be an understatement.
Reports have confirmed that Amadio, Mantha and Carrier are on their way out of Vegas and Martinez is likely gone as well. The team will talk with Stephenson to see what contract he and his camp are looking for and then decide on his future with the organization.
Marchessault has been keen on signing an extension but hasn't heard from the Golden Knights since the conclusion of the season.
After dealing with their pending free agents, the Golden Knights are going to need to fill out their roster with players on entry-level contracts or league minimum deals and even with those moves they'd be up tight to the cap. The raise gives them some breathing room to make future deals.
Dorofeyev, Korzcak and Brendan Brisson are all likely to receive bigger roles and will be important pieces of the Golden Knights' core. Korzcak had a strong season in both the NHL and AHL and before Dorofeyev's injury he was steadily improving. Brisson also showed his goal-scoring prowess and if he's given an extended look with the Golden Knights' top six, he could have a great offensive season.
An offseason filled with departures, new faces and possibly big-time trades will give general manager Kelly McCrimmon a full schedule.
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