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LV W S P O R T S
9.24.20
OFFSEASON AGENDA
Three questions facing the Golden Knights before hockey resumes again BY JUSTIN EMERSON
T
he Vegas Golden Knights’ front office won’t have much of a chance to dwell on the team’s disappointing loss to Dallas in the Western Conference Finals. They have too many roster decisions to make ahead of the 2020-21 season, which will likely start sometime in November or December. The big one is in goal, but even once Vegas figures out who’ll be playing in the crease, there are other areas that need to be addressed. Here’s a rundown of the three biggest questions the Golden Knights must answer.
1
WHO’S THE GOALIE? This will define the offseason and quite possibly the franchise moving forward. Outward indications point to the Golden Knights keeping Robin Lehner and moving on from Marc-André Fleury. Some reports even suggest the Golden Knights and Lehner have already agreed to a five-year, $5 millionper-year contract, though both sides have denied that any deal exists. If it ends up happening, however, the Golden Knights have their starting goalie and little room for Fleury. It’s hard to justify committing $12 million of salary cap space on two goalies, when only one can start per night. That could mean trading Fleury, which appears complicated. The veteran has a 10-team no-trade clause in his contract, so he can block deals to a third of potential suitors. If Vegas finds a taker among the remaining pool of 20 teams, it’s all about the return.
Does Fleury have positive value that could net Vegas a prospect or draft pick in return? Or would the Golden Knights need to toss in a sweetener in the form of a draft pick or prospect of their own to get another team to take on the $14 million owed to the 35-year-old Fleury the next two years? The latter might be more likely, considering Fleury is coming off one of his worst seasons and was benched in the playoffs. There’s also the buyout option. The Golden Knights could cut Fleury and save about a third of the money owed to him over the next two seasons in exchange for a cap penalty. That would make Fleury an unrestricted free agent. For now, Fleury remains a Golden Knight, and Lehner is set to be a free agent on October 9, but odds are on the latter starting on opening night and the former playing somewhere else.
