GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

Can three trade acquisitions help the Golden Knights achieve their ultimate goal?

BY DANNY WEBSTER

The Golden Knights might have been expected to make a big splash at the NHL’s trade deadline on March 3, given their reputation and history. The franchise is known for aggressive in-season moves, having acquired Mark Stone, Robin Lehner and others in such fashion over the years.

No such blockbuster swap materialized this year, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Vegas pushed to obtain the two biggest names available—Patrick Kane (from Chicago) and Timo Meier (from San Jose), but neither deal came to fruition.

Kane wound up with the New York Rangers and Meier was shipped to the New Jersey Devils, which wasn’t all that negative of a result for the Golden Knights. It meant that no Western Conference team made a high-profile move to help separate itself from the crowd packed together in the standings.

With five weeks remaining in the season at press time, Vegas sat in first in the West in both points and points percentage. Nothing is guaranteed considering how close the race has been all season, but the Golden Knights are in good position to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing out last season.

And they strengthened that placement at the trade deadline, even if their moves more resembled a dive off a small plank instead of their usual cannonball off the highest board. The Golden Knights are hoping that’s all they need to fortify their status as a Stanley Cup contender, and so far, the early returns have been positive.

Vegas acquired a trio of players—Ivan Barbashev from the St. Louis Blues, Teddy Blueger from the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jonathan Quick from the Columbus Blue Jackets—to address needs borne during another injury-plagued season.

It started five days before the deadline, when Vegas nabbed Barbashev in exchange for 2021 first-round pick Zach Dean. Barbashev has played on the top line with Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault to begin his Vegas tenure, filling in nicely for injured captain Mark Stone, who remains out indefinitely after his second back surgery.

Barbashev had five points in his first four games with Vegas, adding a pair of goals in a 4-3 victory over Montreal to three assists in his first three games.

“He’s one of those guys that makes all the little plays out there,” Marchessault said of Barbashev. “We knew that was the kind of guy we needed, and he’s going to be a huge factor for us.”

The 27-year-old Barbashev amassed a career-high 60 points last season in St. Louis, and if he can play even a fraction of that well in Vegas, the Golden Knights will have some peace of mind regarding their top line. Eichel has returned to superstar form with 14 points in 12 games since the All-Star break, and Marchessault had a two-goal game of his own in a recent 4-3 shootout victory over the Devils.

The trade for Blueger followed Barbashev’s deal by three days and helps fill out depth.

Vegas gave up prospect defenseman Peter DiLiberatore and a 2024 third-round pick for the Penguins’ defensive-minded forward.

Defense drew Vegas to Blueger, especially his play on the penalty kill. The 28-year-old immediately contributed to the bottom six forward group in his first two games with the team, as Nicolas Roy continues to nurse a lower-body injury with his status unknown going forward.

Blueger is a fine replacement. Speed is his best ability, and it should create space for linemates Brett Howden and Keegan Kolesar.

Barbashev and Blueger might be the most impactful newcomers, but Quick’s arrival fits the closest with the Golden Knights’ standard operating procedure as a big-name surprise that sends waves throughout the rest of the league. The 37-year-old Quick might no longer play at the level that helped him win two Stanley Cups and make three All-Star teams in his prime, but Vegas hopes he can help stabilize what has become a thin set of goalie options.

Logan Thompson (lower body, week-to-week) and Laurent Brossoit (lower body, placed on injured reserve) are both out. Adin Hill is in the midst of the best stretch of his career, with six wins in seven starts and a .927 save percentage since the All-Star Break, but even if he keeps it up, he’ll need someone capable behind him.

Quick makes for a relatively low-stakes gamble; Vegas only had to give up veteran AHL goalie Michael Hutchinson and a 2025 seventh-round pick to for him. Quick, a likely future Hall of Famer, had spent his entire 16year NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings before they dealt him to Columbus in exchange for goalie Joonas Korpisalo and defenseman

Vladislav Gavrikov.

The Golden Knights adding Quick when other goalies like Korpisalo were available might seem like a head-scratcher on the surface. Quick fell off significantly with the Kings this year, with his 3.50 goals against average and .876 save percentage making his 11-13-4 record look fortunate.

But the Golden Knights are hoping he can recapture some glory down the stretch of the regular season—if not for one last playoff run. If Quick led the Golden Knights into a hypothetical series with the Kings, it would become one of the biggest storylines of the NHL postseason.

“It’s motivating,” Quick said with a grin. “I’m looking forward to being part of this team and do what you want to do every year; you want to win your division, you want to win playoff series, and you want to win 16 playoff games. Whatever I can do to help them, that’s what I want to do.”

Quick’s debut with Vegas was mixed. He shut out the Canadiens for two periods before giving up a trio of goals in the third period as part of a 4-3 victory.

Vegas’ defense has improved drastically through the break, one reason why there’s optimism Quick can produce in a new locale.

“I think he’ll fit right in,” Marchessault said. “We have the team that we had, that we have right now, for Flower [Marc-Andre Fleury] back in the days. Just the system we have right now, keeping everything to the outside, I think he’ll fit in perfect.”

Vegas’ outlook looked bleak going into its bye week after losing Stone, suffering through an offensive drought and dealing with erratic goaltending. Some thought the season might go up in flames, but the Golden Knights have since gone 9-2-1.

They’re showing they should still be considered a top contender in the West and acted accordingly at the trade deadline. The trio of new players might not make for a major haul, but they could be enough to help the Golden Knights get where they want to go.