Golden Knights’ potential trade deadline targets, needs, assets and more: Mailbag

Thanks again to all the subscribers who submitted questions for the mailbag. We already covered the topics that weren’t related to the deadline in Part 1. Now we tackle your trade questions leading up to the March 3 deadline. (Some questions have been lightly edited for style and clarity.)

If the goal is to win the Stanley Cup, does this team really have what it takes? It is starting to feel like the Golden Knights went all-in on a losing hand. Is it time to consider blowing this up (or at least seriously retooling) while they have some tradable assets? — Matthew L. and others

I think the next month leading into the deadline will tell us a lot about where things stand. The Golden Knights still have 10 games to play before they reach the deadline, and I think their performance will impact the way they approach it.

The first factor is Mark Stone’s health and timeline for return, but even without him, Vegas is relatively healthy elsewhere at the moment. Zach Whitecloud is the only other player out, and he could be back after the All-Star break. If the Golden Knights can look like the team that started the season 13-2-0, with great defensive structure and timely counter attacks in transition, they’ll once again be buyers at the deadline.

The 36 games since that start provide a much larger sample size, and Vegas has gone a mediocre 16-16-4 in that stretch. If they continue on that pace, the Golden Knights won’t be a playoff team. The front office must decide which version they think this team is closer to. If the answer to that is the team we’ve seen lately, a retooling to build this team around Jack Eichel is needed.

Which Vegas players are on the trade block, per se? Who is most likely to be moved, if any, other than our surplus of goalies? — Anthony L.

I don’t think there are any major pieces on the trade block at the moment, unless the team is looking into a serious retooling, which would surprise me. I think an ancillary player could be moved to help make cap room for a potential addition, but nothing major.

In terms of the goalies, I don’t see any trade value in moving one. They may want to unload Laurent Brossoit’s cap hit, since he’s still counting $1.2 million toward the cap while in the minors, but coming off a surgery without any NHL action, I don’t think there’s much trade value there.

Who are some trade deadline targets, and what should we expect for the timeline of the trades? It feels like sooner would be better than later. — Zachary C.

Expect a full story in the near future outlining several targets I like for the Golden Knights, but a couple I’ve thought of recently are Tyler Bertuzzi — if Detroit can’t re-sign him — and Jesse Puljujarvi. They’d fill very different roles, but I think each could bring something Vegas is missing.

I agree that adding a player sooner would be helpful, especially with the way Vegas has struggled lately, but that’s usually not easy to do. There’s a reason deals usually come down to the wire on the day of the deadline, because general managers don’t budge on their asking prices until the absolute last minute. Acquiring a player early could cost a premium.

Does the emergence of Kaedan Korczak, Daniil Miromanov and Brayden Pachal put pressure on guys like Nicolas Hague and Zach Whitecloud? Fully healthy, do any of these guys make the lineup or will Bruce Cassidy roll with the usual six? – Matthew D.

For now I think Cassidy sticks with the status quo, which looks like this:

However, if Miromanov returns to health I think it does put some pressure on Hague and Whitecloud, especially if Vegas is struggling to score. Miromanov showed he drives offense at the NHL level and brings an element that the other two don’t necessarily offer. Overall, I think Cassidy still trusts Hague and Whitecloud more, but Miromnaov has at least made himself an option as a different style of defender if needed.

Would it really be that outrageous to trade Shea Theodore towards the deadline, provided the return is some serious asset? It would mean Vegas would be selling high for a change instead of constantly selling low, and as much as we all love Shea, is he really worth the $4.5 million more in salary cap hit over someone like Miromanov or Korczak? – Michael J.

Yes, I think it would be really outrageous.

Theodore is worth far more than $4.5 million more than Miromanov and Korczak. He’s a top-tier defenseman who drives offense and controls play among the best in the league, and he does it for a meager cap hit of only $5.2 million. In my opinion, Theodore has one of Vegas’ best value contracts, and the metrics agree. According to Dom Luszczyszyn’s player cards, Theodore provides the most value above his cap hit of any player on the team. You’re right that Vegas would be selling high for once, which would be nice, but I don’t think they should consider trading Theodore. If anything, he should be one of the cornerstones of a retooling of the roster.

Are there any big, physical scoring wingers available on the trade market? – Larry B.

Timo Meier is a powerful forward who regularly gets to the front of the net and scores goals while he’s there. The cost would likely be astronomical, especially for a team like Vegas that has already traded so many future assets lately.

Ryan O’Reilly is another option. He certainly fits the bill, but he’s also injured at the moment and his play has also dipped considerably this season (he’s a minus-28 at even strength). James van Riemsdyk can get to the front of the net, and he’d be much less-expensive to acquire — likely a mid- to late-round pick — but he also carries a $7 million cap hit so he might be tough to fit. in.

Bertuzzi — whom I mentioned above — is a really interesting option in this range, and carries a cap hit of only $4.75 million. The 27-year-old has missed most of this season with injury, but he’s a hard-nosed winger who loves driving the net and was second on the Red Wings last season with 62 points in 68 games.

What are the Golden Knights’ biggest needs and is it worth it to lose futures for some big splashes this season? — Iulia P.

I think the Golden Knights’ biggest need is a top-nine winger, but there are two directions they could go in terms of style. If Cassidy still wants to build a third line with a similar identity to the fourth, adding a physical, defensively responsible winger is a must. If he likes what he’s seen from the recently-formed line of Chandler Stephenson, William Carrier and Phil Kessel — which has scored Vegas’ only two goals in the last two games — then perhaps Vegas would prefer to look for a scoring winger to play alongside. Eichel.

I’ll have a full story going over several options available for each of those styles in the near future. As for the second part of your question, how the Golden Knights play over the next 10 games leading into the deadline will answer that for me. I need to see them look like the defensively-dominant team they were early in the season. If their play continues at the level it’s been lately, I don’t think it’s worth mortgaging more future assets to add to this squad.

(Photo of Tyler Bertuzzi: Rick Osentoski / USA Today)