The free agent prize this offseason was scoring sensation Mitch Marner, formally of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Many questioned where he would go, and the Vegas Golden Knights rather quickly put those thoughts to bed. With the acquisition of Marner, they are now destined to be Stanley Cup champions, and they have elite talent.
With the Marner news being the top story of the summer, Vegas did also make other moves to solidify their roster for the 2025-26 season.
Goledn Knights, Marner aim for the Stanley Cup
Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon has an interesting way of putting a team together every season and in the playoffs. Vegas got the big fish and is one of the teams' favorites to win the Cup this season. Already a potent roster, the Golden Knights add a player in Marner who is capable of 100 points every season. Marner, drafted fourth overall by the Maple Leafs in 2015, moves to a differetn team for the first time in his career. A new team, new teammates, and a different conference but the goal is still the same.
Marner is the fifth-highest scoring player in Maple Leafs history with 741 points. He is a prolific scorer who is destined to play on the top line and on the top power play unit. He is a pass-first player who gets most of his points via assists and this gives Vegas a legit playmaker this season. Coming off a 4 Nations championship in 2025, he is motivated once again to add a Stanley Cup to his impressive resume this season.
Marner is the one elite player that the Vegas faithful do not have to worry about about as far as his offensive production is concerned. He will produce and lead his team to the playoffs. The one downfall about adding Marner is his playoff production, as it seems to dip off a bit when the time comes to come through.
McCrimmon also adds depth in offseason
McCrimmon was also busy building a team for next season aside from Marner and he did that in different ways. He re-signed defenseman Lukas Cormier (one-year, two-way deal), right winger Jonas Rondbjerg (one-year, two-way deal), right winger Cole Schwindt (one-year deal), and center Raphael Lavoie (one-year, two-way deal).
He was busy in free agency also. He brought in right winger Reilly Smith, defenseman Dylan Coghlan, and left winger Brandon Saad to one-year deals and defenseman Jaycob Megna to a two-year deal.
Vegas is coming into this upcoming season primed and ready for a lengthy playoff run. They have added pieces and re-signed important pieces that have had success in teh playoffs. The season has to be played first but Vegas has the weapons to be an elite team this season. They have four quality lines, three pairs of solid defenseman, and two NHL-caliber netminders to steal a game when neccessary. The Pacific Division is right there for the picking and Vegas will be right there when the season ends.