Daily Nuggets: Golden Knights Trade Candidates; Robertson Rumors

Good morning, folks. Tonight, the Edmonton Oilers will host the Florida Panthers for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Sure, it’s been nearly a week between games; surely, this break won’t hurt numbers at all– but I digress. With the offseason in full swing for 30 other NHL teams, the Vegas Golden Knights have a few players on the trade block.

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, the offseason trade board gets a little more interesting with an elite-proven goalscorer. Desperate to get over the hump, the Dallas Stars have reportedly made Jason Robertson available, and everybody wants in. And the Colorado Avalanche need a revamp at the blue line– could Nic Hague fit the bill? 

In a bit of personal news: I’ll officially be a Nevada resident in a little less than a month. Perhaps more consequential, however, is the fact that I bought a new pair of shoes yesterday for the first time in nearly four years. This isn’t a cry for help– I’m simply a creature of habit and have been wearing the same sneaker model since 2018. And after weeks of scouring the internet to replace them, I finally found a fresh pair. I forgot what the sole of a shoe is supposed to feel like. This is the high life, folks.

Okay. Let’s talk some hockey!

Golden Knights News

The offseason is in full swing for 30 of the 32 NHL teams, and that means trade boards. The Golden Knights are ready to make lineup changes to get back to Stanley Cup contention, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed. Two players have begun to garner interest around the league and could be on the trade block.

No one can know what Kelly McCrimmon’s master plan is, but I think there are a few names that have thus far gone unmentioned. Because the Golden Knights are starved for offense, they need to clear some salary cap space for an impact player– and that means making the tough decisions. There are three Golden Knights I think could be in line for the guillotine.

NHL News, Rumors, & National Hockey Now

The Athletic ($): Connor McDavid knows how important winning a Stanley Cup is to his legacy. To do so, he’ll have to follow in the footsteps of Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby via a revenge Cup.

Sportsnet: The Stanley Cup is the most important trophy and the hardest to win in sports. But after the Cup– or before, in terms of when it’s handed out– is the Conn Smythe. Here are the Conn Smythe Power Rankings before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Colorado Hockey Now: The Golden Knights are reportedly shopping Nic Hague’s RFA rights. The Avalanche need to get tougher and re-up their defense. Could there be a trade brewing?

New York Islanders Hockey Now: The Isles have been looking for a true goalscorer for longer than I can remember. But this time, they can’t afford to miss out on a player as talented as Jason Robertson. The Isles must go all in.

Montreal Hockey Now: Speaking of Jason Robertson, some 400-odd miles North, the Canadiens could also use a player of his caliber. He won’t come cheap, but the 100-point player would be worth the price.

Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers could still use an elite number-one center. Noah Cates probably isn’t that, but after his 2024-25 breakout campaign, the Philadelphia front office rewarded him with a nice new contract.

Florida Hockey Now: The puck drops for the Stanley Cup Final just over 12 hours from now, so Aaron Ekblad’s new contract isn’t the highest priority. However, the defenseman yearns to stay in Florida, stating that he ‘bleeds’ for his Panthers.

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