Welcome to Last Word’s coverage of the Vegas Golden Knights hockey club. We are proud to bring you a (soon to be) regular segment known as ‘The Knightcap.’ Like much of our coverage, we aim to bring you the latest news and provide detailed hockey analysis on the Vegas Golden Knights players and throughout the organization. So, buckle up ladies and gentlemen as we take you on a journey across the great divide known affectionately as hockey in the desert. And what better way to kick-start our journey than with a juicy hockey-related trade rumour?
In Vegas Golden Knights Rumours, Mitch Marner Is on the Radar
It all started this past week with a fairly simple quote from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on a local Toronto Maple Leafs talk show. Then came the inevitable flood of think pieces that such rumours invariably spawn, debating the pros or cons of bringing him to the team. We won’t dive into that muck because, at this point, it is basically back-of-envelope doodling. Doodling that, if you’re George McPhee or Kelly McCrimmon, makes absolute sense, the words “hypothesizing” and “suspect” in Friedman’s quote hint at this.
Also, Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson are currently in negotiations for new deals with the team. There’s been either basically radio silence when it comes to Marchessault, or total sustained radio silence when it comes to Stephenson. Until there’s any sniff of new developments in either direction with either player, it’s highly logical to just take a deep breath and let things hum along at their natural pace. This seems like a big swing to make given this particular realm, but if there’s anything that better signifies the Knightcap, it’s big swings.
It’s not to say that a deal absolutely couldn’t happen the closer we get to Fall. All one has to do is take a cursory look at George McPhee’s resume since arriving in Vegas as proof enough that this type of big, grandioso, borderline risky move is more than plausible. From the perspective of General Manager Brad Treliving and the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team that’s been hunting the Stanley Cup like Monkey D. Luffy and the One Piece, either of Shea Theodore or Logan Thompson is mightily tempting to snag. But right now, it is sufficient to just give this a shrug emoji and go about our day.
Former Vegas Golden Knights Prospect Ivan Morozov Staying in KHL
Speaking of the news equivalent of a shrug emoji, a Golden Knight prospect has decided to stay in Russia. Centre Ivan Morozov recently signed a two-year extension with Spartak Moskva of the KHL. Moreover, he was originally drafted by the Golden Knights in the second round back in 2018. He did put up 23 points in 58 games with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights a couple of years ago. No doubt, those are somewhat solid numbers. However, when you’re in the position where the organizational depth chart is occupied by Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, and William Karlsson, you have about as much chance to break the NHL roster as most people do at outwitting Lady Danbury. Here’s hoping continued success in the KHL, opens up the door for a path back to the NHL at the outset of the two-year deal.
Rosters for Battle 4 Vegas Revealed
This has absolutely nothing to do with on-ice action. In contrast, it involves Golden Knights players like Keegan Kolesar and Logan Thompson, as well as former Golden Knight Ryan Reaves, with the proceeds going to a bunch of different charities in the Las Vegas, Nevada area. Thus the mention and signal boost for anyone in the area on July 13th. Between potential signings and other noteworthy news events or hockey analysis with the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and free agency coming up within the next couple of weeks, stay tuned with us for all the latest and greatest Vegas Golden Knights news and updates.
Main photo: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
