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Golden Knights Trade Talk

Vegas Golden Knights Trade Cody Glass for Nolan Patrick; Full Analysis

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Vegas Golden Knights Nolan Patrick

Cody Glass was the last of the original three Vegas Golden Knights draft picks, who remained. Now all three are gone as the Vegas Golden Knights trade sent Glass to the Nashville Predators for former second-overall pick Nolan Patrick in a swap of struggling youngsters.

GM Kelly McCrimmon was busy on Saturday, and this was the first of two trades.

Fans have wondered if or when Glass, the Golden Knights’ first-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft (sixth overall), would become a fixture in the lineup. However, he never did. In 66 games played over the past two seasons, Glass scored nine goals and 13 assists.

He did play in one playoff game this season but was in desperate need of a change of scenery. And the team remains in desperate need of top-six centers. There’s an outside chance they just got one.

The Golden Knights are the third wheel in a significant trade between the Nashville Predators and Philadelphia Flyers. Nashville sent top-four defenseman Ryan Ellis to the Flyers in exchange for young defenseman Philippe Myers and Patrick. Ellis, 30, was in danger of being exposed in the coming expansion draft. The Flyers were in desperate need of defensive help.

In addition, Nashville acquired Patrick for Ellis and spun him to Vegas for Glass.

About Nolan Patrick…

The Golden Knights are getting a big center who has stumbled early in his career. Patrick has not been an impact player in Philadelphia and has seen the press box a few times.

He missed the entire 2019-20 season due to a migraine disorder. However, he played 52 of 56 games last season but scored only nine points, including four goals.

Patrick’s spot in the Flyers lineup sank lower and lower.

Patrick has hockey sense, good size, and his skills were well-hyped before the 2017 NHL Draft. It just never clicked in Philadelphia. Patrick scored 13 goals in his first two NHL seasons in 2017-18 and ’18-19. He scored 30 and 31 points, respectively.

There’s no winner or loser in this trade. Both players are equally likely to find success away from their original team as they are to fail.

The Golden Knights did get good raw material but traded one gamble for another. Patrick may be a better fit for head coach Pete DeBoer’s defensive regimen, and he certainly brings a more physical presence and use of his size than Glass.