NHL Free Agency 2018: Vegas Golden Knights to sign Paul Stastny
The Vegas Golden Knights have shocked the NHL again, as they’re expected to sign center Paul Stastny once NHL free agency begins
The Vegas Golden Knights took the NHL by surprise last season. They made it to the Stanley Cup Final in their first year as a franchise. This came after the most successful season an expansion team has ever had in their rookie season. Now they’ve done it again. Darren Dreger is reporting the Knights are expected to sign center Paul Stastny once NHL free agency starts.
Working on the aav for Paul Statsny in Vegas, but I believe he’s agreed to a 3 year term.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 1, 2018
Once it becomes official after 12 noon ET when it can be papered/signed, VGK deal with Paul Stastny is three years with an AAV of $6.5M.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 1, 2018
This is a huge surprise. Stastny was expected to re-sign with the Winnipeg Jets, especially after they were able to clear some salary. The Jets traded Steve Mason to the Montreal Canadiens yesterday, but the Knights were still able to win over Stastny.
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Vegas is getting a great center. Stastny should slot in as their second line center and give them a more productive second line. Vegas relied heavily on their top two forward lines last season, so making their second line stronger is a great idea.
This also potentially makes their third line stronger, as Cody Eakin and Erik Haula could settle into more appropriate third line roles. Eakin was their second line center last season. Haula might still stay up on the second line, though, depending on what else the Knights do. They are still trying to work something out with left wing James Neal.
$6.5 million per year is the reported price. Seems a bit high, but keep in mind the Knights have a lot of cap space. Also, they did get a three-year deal, which is good because Stastny’s over 30 years old.
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The Golden Knights have a lot of cap space, so the cap hit for Stastny shouldn’t matter too much. Vegas has once again surprised everyone, doing what everyone else thought wouldn’t happen.
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