Connect with us

Golden Knights Analysis

Making Sense of Golden Knights Trade Rumors

Published

3 weeks ago

on

By

MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 03: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram (4) plays the puck during the Buffalo Sabres versus the Montreal Canadiens game on March 03, 2025, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)
MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 03: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram (4) plays the puck during the Buffalo Sabres versus the Montreal Canadiens game on March 03, 2025, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

The 2025 NHL Entry Draft is less than 24 hours away, which means that the league is alive with activity. Rumors are swirling, and it’s hard to tell if there’s fire behind all the smoke. The Vegas Golden Knights have been all-in since entering the league, and after a disappointing second-round exit, they’re dominating the rumor mill.

At this time of year, it’s hard to separate fact from fiction. Agents use smokescreens to help drive up their players’ value and thus increase their salary. No GM is willing to lose leverage by disclosing exactly what they want, so teams try to divert attention from their true intentions.

That being said, the Golden Knights and their alleged interests were the talk of the town on Thursday. Let’s discuss:

William Karlsson and Tomáš Hertl

Ever since David Pagnotta reported that the Golden Knights included William Karlsson when discussing a potential Mitch Marner trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he’s been all over the news. And if Twitter is to be believed, the Golden Knights nearly shipped Tomáš Hertl to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.

While nothing is set in stone at this time of year, I don’t get the sense that the Golden Knights have any real interest in trading Karlsson or Hertl– and neither does Elliotte Friedman.

Again, at this time of year, anything could happen, and very few players in this league are truly untouchable. But the Golden Knights have some of the strongest center depth in the league; changing that doesn’t make any sense. 

The Golden Knights want to win another Stanley Cup– they’re not going to trade good players just for the sake of trading them. Both Hertl and Karlsson work well with the system and have had success in Vegas.

Hertl scored 32 goals last season, good for second behind Pavel Dorofeyev. And Karlsson is second in just about every franchise leaderboard that matters– goals, assists, points, and games played. 

I’m sure the Carolina Hurricanes, who don’t have a second-line center, would love to acquire Hertl. However, no credible sources indicated that the feeling is mutual.

Bowen Byram

The Buffalo Sabres have their fair share of suitors for 24-year-old Bowen Byram. Per Chris Johnston, as many as eight teams could be in the mix for the former 4th overall pick. According to Darren Dreger, the Golden Knights are one of those interested teams.

I’m not so sure about this one.

Oh, I’m sure the Golden Knights are doing their due diligence and kicking the tires on an available young player. They’d be remiss not to. But as a fit, Byram doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. 

For starters, the Golden Knights like their defensemen big and mean, and Byram isn’t either of those. That’s not to say that Byram isn’t a good player— he is. He’s a smart, smooth-skating defenseman, gifted offensively, and a great puck-mover. But when it comes to physicality or boxing players out in front of the net, he leaves some to be desired.

Then there’s the issue that the Golden Knights don’t have many trade assets. The Sabres want a good young player in return, and the Golden Knights don’t have many of those to spare.

In addition, Byram is a left-shot defenseman. Even if the Golden Knights lose Nic Hague, there’s no room for Byram in their top four. Byram and Noah Hanifin play a similar game– they’re both skilled at joining the rush and jumping into the play. However, Byram doesn’t possess the nasty streak that makes Hanifin so effective, and Hanifin is better defensively. 

Finally, there’s the matter of an extension. As a pending RFA, Byram isn’t under contract. AFPAnalytics projects a one-year short-term extension worth $5.2 million or a five-year extension worth $7.2 million. After reportedly signing Brandon Saad to a one-year, $2 million extension, the Golden Knights can’t exactly afford Byram’s asking price.

Erik Karlsson

Okay, this one isn’t really a rumor. Shayna Goldman of The Athletic listed Vegas as one of eight potential destinations for the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman. She acknowledged that the cap situation made this an extremely unlikely match but pointed out that the Golden Knights have made that work in the past.

She’s not wrong. The Golden Knights have habitually been in the mix for nearly every big-name player available for the past eight years. 

They signed Alex Pietrangelo in Free Agency. They traded for Karlsson’s old teammate, Mark Stone. The Golden Knights won the Jack Eichel sweepstakes. They even came out of nowhere to acquire Noah Hanifin and Tomáš Hertl. The three-time Norris Trophy winner would just be another notch in their belt.

Erik Karlsson was one of, if not the, best offensive defensemen of the 2010s. In his prime, he was a top 10, if not 5, player in the league. No one saw the ice like EK65– he made plays that few players would even think to try. And even though he’s now on the wrong side of 30, as noted by Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now, Karlsson’s still got it.

But that contract is rough. The Penguins are paying Karlsson $10 million for two more years, and that’s money that the Golden Knights don’t have. Even if they had it, that’s money better spent on a top-six left winger. 

Rasmus Andersson

On Wednesday, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Golden Knights had “shown interest” in Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson.

Of all the Golden Knights-centric rumors, this one makes the most sense. If Alex Pietrangelo is truly injured, Andersson is the perfect replacement. He’s 28 years old, a right shot, and is a skilled two-way defenseman. He struggled last season on a bad Flames team, posting a -38– the third-worst +/- in the league.

That’s not who Andersson really is.

At his best, he’s elite at both ends of the ice. Andersson, like his old defensive partner Noah Hanifin, can jump into the rush or activate in the offensive zone at any time. He’s unafraid to throw the body and plays bigger than his 6’1” size. He’s smart with his stick defensively and led the Flames in blocked shots last year with 196.

Now, I’m not so sure that the Golden Knights have the necessary assets to pull off this trade. Several teams are interested in Andersson, and it’s hard to imagine the Golden Knights beating many offers. Winning a Stanley Cup depleted their pipeline– they don’t even have a first-round draft pick until 2027.

However, the Golden Knights have done more with less. Futures simply don’t matter to a team that only cares about the present. They’ve made a living trading magic beans for elite players– why stop now? 

I sure hope Calgary wants magic beans. Because the Golden Knights have shown time and time again that if they want something, they’re sure as hell going to get it.

FOR MORE GOLDEN KNIGHTS NEWS AND UP-TO-DATE COVERAGE, VISIT VEGAS HOCKEY NOW AND LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE.

FOLLOW US ON 𝕏:

@VegasHockeyNow
@h_kirk6

Related Topics: