The Three Most Questionable Trades by the Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights came into the NHL in 2017-18 like a ball of fire. They destroyed everything en route to a first-year record of 51-24-7 for 109 points. If that was not enough, the first-year franchise made it to the Stanley Cup finals, losing to the Washington Capitals. What a first year, they must be the best organization in the NHL. Well, let us not get too far.
The Golden Knights, although successful, have had their issues, both on and off the ice. While they have stood tall against NHL competition, the roster has had enough turnover to last a franchise ten years.
The Vegas Golden Knights, aside from the current 2022-23 season, have had no less than 82 points in any season since joining the league, making them a surprisingly successful team out of the gate.
While that may be what an expansion team wants, some stories make them one of the most disliked franchises in the league also. From stories about how management runs the organization to players wanting out almost yearly, the Vegas Golden Knights have been successful and controversial at the same time.
The Golden Knights have produced some talented rosters since their arrival but have made some questionable moves that could have made them unquestionably better. What makes them one of the most disliked franchises is that fans believed they were handed a good team at the expansion draft, while other expansion franchises, including the Seattle Kraken, have to fight to be successful. Whether that be true or false, the way they have constructed their roster have people believing their management cannot be trusted. Here are three examples of some questionable trades they have made since day one.
Three Questionable Trades Made by the Vegas Golden Knights
Suzuki to Montreal for Pacioretty
The Vegas Golden Knights drafted highly skilled and highly touted forward Nick Suzuki in the first round (13th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft. Looking for more immediate scoring, Vegas surprised everyone on September 9, 2018, trading Suzuki, Tomas Tatar, and a second-round pick (Samuel Fagemo) in the 2019 NHL draft to the Montreal Canadians for forward Max Pacioretty. Suzuki has been a consistent offensive-producing forward for the Canadians, while Pacioretty has been injured more times than not. Suzuki has been so impressive in his new home that Montreal named the young star the 31st captain in Montreal history on September 12, 2022. Pacioretty, like Suzuki, is no longer with the Vegas Golden Knights. More on that later.
Fleury traded to the Chicago Blackhawks
One of the more storied goaltenders in NHL history, Marc-Andre Fleury, was a constant in Vegas. Being the first goaltender in Golden Knight’s history, he played consistent hockey. He never gave up on the play and always kept Vegas in the game. He was a force between the pipes, playing like his old self that won multiple Stanley Cups.
Then, the Vegas Golden Knights acquired Robin Lehner from the Chicago Blackhawks on February 24, 2020. This created controversy between management, Lehner, Fleury, and the fans. Fleury was playing outstanding so why would they trade for a goaltender to push Fleury and potentially take the future Hall of Famer’s spot? That all came true as, on July 28, 2021, Vegas would eventually side with Lehner and trade Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks for Mikael Hakkarainen. Fleury would go on to play with the Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild, still playing outstanding hockey. Hakkarainen, meanwhile, has retired from playing hockey.
Pacioretty and Coghlan traded to Carolina Hurricanes
After a few years of playing in Vegas, the Golden Knights traded Pacioretty and promising defenseman Dylan Coghlan to the Carolina Hurricanes for future considerations on July 13, 2022. Pacioretty has played solid hockey with Vegas and Coghlan was just getting started in a promising NHL career. Coghlan was a second-pairing defenseman with loads of potential, while Pacioretty was still capable of scoring 25-30 goals.
The Vegas Golden Knights received future considerations for a potential 25-goal scorer and a good young defenseman. One of just many moves the Vegas Golden Knights made that left fans wondering what was going on. Vegas fans are hoping these trades are over and more thought is brought into trades next time.