3 Trades That Could Fix the Vegas Golden Knights
Acquire Claude Giroux From the Philadelphia Flyers
It’s rebuild time for the Philadelphia Flyers, and that means saying goodbye to captain Claude Giroux. One would certainly imagine that Vegas is among the destinations to which he would be willing to go, and it would certainly aid the Golden Knights’ quest for a more versatile offense.
This would by no means be an easy move for Vegas, as Giroux not only carries a tremendous amount of value, but also a cap hit of $8.275 million. For a team that desperately needs to find cap space, this is not ideal. Nevertheless, we know that the Golden Knights love to make big moves, so this could be on the table.
With the money cleared in the Dadonov trade, Vegas has the flexibility to bring in the long-time Flyers captain. Giroux would be yet another incredible talent to join the Vegas roster, plus he would bring not only important depth at the center position, but he’d also be an upgrade on the power play.
As noted previously, the Golden Knights power play is among the worst in the NHL, so adding Giroux and his 12 power play points this season would be helpful. Those 12 points are even more assuring when you consider how poor the Flyers have played (30th ranked power play).
His numbers are down overall, but he has mustered 30+ points with the man-advantage in five of his seasons, so the ceiling is high in that regard, and that’s precisely what the Golden Knights need.
Beyond just his power play numbers, Giroux is a great offensive weapon, having reached the 100-point mark as recently as the 2017-2018 season. He went over a point per game only three seasons ago and has been within striking distance of that feat in each season since, even on a struggling team.
On the season, he’s recorded 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points in 54 games with the last-place Flyers.
From Philadelphia’s standpoint, Vegas has to make an offer that is worth it to them, as they have one of the biggest names among those that are potentially available. In my view, assets that will impact the future have much more value for the Flyers, so the Golden Knights can make this trade happen without giving up overwhelming portions of the active roster.
Vegas does not have a first-round pick to give away this season, and the condition attached to the previously traded pick complicates the Golden Knights’ ability to move next year’s first-rounder. As a result, the Flyers get a first-round choice in a couple of years and a high pick this year to hold them over.
In terms of players, Vegas will have to surrender one young player to satisfy Philadelphia’s bid to begin anew, while also reluctantly saying goodbye to one of the members of its inaugural team to add value and shed salary.
This trade yields the Golden Knights one of the deadline’s largest prizes, while the Flyers get several pieces to help launch a rebuild in the City of Brotherly Love.
The trade: