After a team wins the Stanley Cup, it can be interesting to look back on all of the management decisions that led to the franchise taking home the greatest trophy in hockey. The Vegas Golden Knights are an even more interesting case, being an expansion team that has managed to remain competitive with each season and become one of the quickest teams to win a championship.
The famous ‘Cup in six years’ prediction from Golden Knights owner Bill Foley that was made during the unveiling of the team’s name and logo in November 2016 was said with some unexpected urgency, and it wasn’t going to happen unless they took some massive risks in the trade and free agency market.
The Golden Knights have changed the culture of hockey in a variety of different ways, but the way they manage their team is at the top of the list. With constant lineup changes and superstar acquisitions, they could be at the forefront of a new-age management style that we’ve never seen before.
Let’s take a look at what some of the most impactful trades have been for the Golden Knights over the past six seasons, and how it led to them hoisting the Stanley Cup.
5. Golden Knights Acquire Ivan Barbashev (Feb. 26, 2023)
To Golden Knights: Ivan Barbashev | To St. Louis Blues: Zach Dean
The Golden Knights haven’t been shy about trading away their future in order to benefit them in the present, and this is an instance where that strategy paid off in spades. Just when it seemed like they weren’t involved in acquiring any of the major trade targets in the final days leading up to the trade deadline, they were able to fill their exact needs by picking up Ivan Barbashev from the St. Louis Blues.
Barbashev’s presence on the top forward line took Jack Eichel’s offensive game to another level, which was a huge reason why the Golden Knights were so dangerous at even strength in the playoffs. He finished with 18 points through 22 playoff games and provided a hard-nosed playing style that was absent from the Golden Knights’ top-six.
After trading Reilly Smith to the Pittsburgh Penguins ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft, the Golden Knights freed up $5 million in cap space which was used to extend Barbashev on a five-year, $25 million deal. While Barbashev’s consistency is still a point of concern considering his limited time with the team, there aren’t many 27-year-old, top-six wingers who will be available at that price tag over the next few seasons, which makes the risk of this signing pretty low.
Zach Dean, the Golden Knights’ first-round pick from the 2021 Draft, is a great two-way centre who’s put up some great offensive numbers with the Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). There was a good chance that the 20-year-old was going to spend some time in the American Hockey League (AHL) this season had he stayed with the Golden Knights, and the Blues should be happy that they acquired such an intelligent and mature prospect.
4. Golden Knights Acquire Chandler Stephenson (Dec. 3, 2019)
To Golden Knights: Chandler Stephenson | To Washington Capitals: 2021 5th Round Pick
Stephenson has exceeded all expectations since joining the Golden Knights in 2019, putting together 164 points in 211 games played over the last three seasons and earning himself his first career All-Star Game appearance in 2022-23. He’s solidified himself as a top-six centre with incredible speed and playmaking abilities, and has elevated Mark Stone’s play in the process.
What also makes this trade great is that the Golden Knights have been able to keep Stephenson on such a great contract, as he’s carried a $2.75 million cap hit over the last three seasons. While Stephenson was bound to have a larger role with the Golden Knights than he ever would have had with the Capitals, nobody could have anticipated him being as impactful as he has been.
Related: Golden Knights’ Best and Worst Contracts Heading into 2023-24
The 2021 fifth-round pick that was traded to the Capitals turned into Ty Murchison, who just concluded his second season at Arizona State University where he had just seven points through 35 games. Without any drastic changes to his production, it’s hard to believe that Murchison will ever have an NHL career, making this deal one that the Golden Knights have clearly come out on the winning end of.
3. Golden Knights Acquire Shea Theodore (June 21, 2017)
To Golden Knights: Shea Theodore | To Anaheim Ducks: Expansion Considerations
After Shea Theodore was drafted 26th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in 2013 he had an incredible season with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL), recording 22 goals and leading all defensemen with 79 points through 70 games. He was even called up to the AHL to join the Norfolk Admirals for the playoffs at just 18 years old where he put up three points in the four games he played.
The following season Theodore took home the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s best defenseman after putting up 48 points in 43 games, continuing to build up his impressive resumé before playing a single NHL game. He continued to develop into an offensive defenseman within the organization and finished off his time in Anaheim with an impressive playoff run in the 2016-17 season, putting up eight points in 14 games as a 21-year-old.
Former general manager and now president of hockey operations George McPhee made a number of decisions at the 2017 Expansion Draft that laid the foundation for the current Golden Knights roster, but this was arguably the highest value trade that the organization has ever facilitated. The signs that Theodore had the potential to develop into a high-end offensive defenseman were always there, and the Golden Knights managed to get him for free.
The Ducks didn’t receive any tangible asset in return, as the deal was agreed on to stop the Golden Knights from taking either Josh Manson or Sami Vatanen with their expansion selection. While Manson has gone on to be a solid two-way defenseman who helped elevate the Colorado Avalanche to the Stanley Cup in 2022, I’m sure this is a deal the Ducks wish they could take back.
2. Golden Knights Acquire Reilly Smith (June 21, 2017)
To Golden Knights: Reilly Smith | To Florida Panthers: 2018 4th Round Pick, Expansion Draft Considerations
The Golden Knights acquired two of their franchise’s best forwards from the Florida Panthers during the expansion draft in Smith and Jonathan Marchessault.
Smith had signed a five-year, $25 million extension with the Panthers in the summer of 2016 and had a down year of offensive production the following season, recording just 37 points in 80 games. He had been a consistent 40-50 point player before being traded, and one poor season was enough to convince the Panthers to part ways with him despite committing to him long-term just one year prior.
Not only did he prove to be an integral part of the Golden Knights’ offense throughout his six seasons with the team, but he also proved that the contract was completely justified. Smith recorded 286 points through 399 regular season games played with the Golden Knights and happens to be behind Marchessault for second on the team’s all-time playoff scoring list with 66 points in 88 games.
Obviously, the Golden Knights were still taking a relatively high risk with this trade based on the overall size of the extension Smith was carrying, but acquiring a top-six scoring winger for a fourth-round pick is a deal that pretty much every team would take.
1. Golden Knights Acquire Mark Stone (Feb. 25, 2019)
To Golden Knights: Mark Stone, Tobias Lindberg | To Ottawa Senators: Oscar Lindberg, Erik Brännström, 2020 2nd Round Pick
Out of all of these trades, none have been more impactful to the Golden Knights’ identity as a franchise than the acquisition of Mark Stone. He’s developed into a dominant two-way player who makes his presence felt with every shift, earning himself the right to be named as the first captain in franchise history. Stone has put up 61 points through 68 playoff games with the Golden Knights since 2019, reinforcing just how consistent he’s been in the biggest moments.
With the Ottawa Senators looking to rebuild and Stone uninterested in re-signing, it was inevitable that general manager Pierre Dorion was going to try and extract the most amount of value he could by trading Stone before he became a free agent. It was a situation that the Senators were never going to win, and while the Golden Knights have undoubtedly come out on top in this trade, there are still some things to be excited about if you’re a Senators fan.
Erik Brännström has been the Senators’ most valuable return in this trade as he’s solidified himself as a third-pairing defenseman in the NHL at just 23 years old. He’s got the potential and offensive talent to develop into a top-four defender for them at some point in the future and is in the perfect setting to grow with their young core.
The 2020 second-round pick turned into Egor Sokolov, who was the leading scorer on the AHL-affiliated Belleville Senators last season with 51 points in 70 games. While he’s only played in 13 NHL games since being drafted, he’s also just 23 years old, and if he can continue his offensive production he should get a bigger shot at the NHL level very soon.
The final player in this trade, Oscar Lindberg, played just 20 games for the Ottawa Senators in the 2018-19 season before going overseas to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia and the Swiss National League (Swiss-A) over the next four seasons. Following a short mediocre career in North America, the 31-year-old has found new life as a top offensive producer with Bern SC and there seems to be no signs or desire for him to return to the NHL anytime soon.
Final Thoughts
The Golden Knights are extremely fortunate to have been on the winning side of many trades during their short time in the NHL. The scouts, coaches, and management group have put together a strong foundation of players and seem to have a great idea of what type of player will thrive in their organization.
While there’s no guarantee that they will be able to maintain this level of success when negotiating trades in the future, these previous successes prove that fans should have full confidence in George McPhee and Kelly McCrimmon as they continue to challenge the traditional style of management in the NHL.
